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HISTORICAL SKETCH 



Shester, on Delaware, 



Bl- HENRY GrImM ISHMEAD, 



MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS, 



A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE WORK OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE OF THE PENN 

BI-CENTENNIAL ASSOCIATION OF CHESTER; NAMES OF MEMBERS OF SAME 

AND OF SUB-COMMITTEES; LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS TO THE FUND; 

COMMEMORATIVE EXERCISES OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, CHESTER, FIRST 

DAY, lOTH MONTH 22D, 1882; 

BI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, OCT. 23D, 1882; 

UNVEILING OF MEMORIAL STONE, NOV. 9TH, 1882, 

AND A LIST OF INDUSTRIES, 



BY WILLI4MJII.LER JOHNSON. 

Published Undej^ the y\usPicES of the Historisal Sojviwiittee. 



CHESTER, PA. 

PRINTED AT THE REPUBLICAN STEAM PRINTING HOUSE 

1883. 




o^r} 



HISTORIGAL GOMMITTEE, 



OLIVER TROTH, Chairman. 
WILLIAM SHy\LER JOHNSON, Secretary. 



H. G. ASHMEAD, Chester. 
Henry Frysinger, 
John Spencer, 
Geo. W. Whitlock, 
Isaiah H. Mirkil 
Thomas Lees, 



Col. Frank M. Etting, Concord, 
R. M. Johnson, Lower Chichester- 
■John B, Okie, " " 

Joseph Chadwick, Media. 
Adawi C. Eckfeldt, North Chester, 
Ward R. Bliss, Upland. 



PREFACE. 



The Historical Committee of the Penn Bi-Centennial Associa- 
tion of Chester, in the discharge of the duties confided to them, 
thought it but fitting that the people should have some enduring 
memorial of the celebration in our city of the Two Hundredth an- 
niversary of the landing of William Penn, the Founder of the Com- 
monwealth of Pennsylvania — a memorial which could pass from 
father to son and keep alive, to some extent at least, the interest 
which the event had aroused and the lessons it had taught. 

That memorial has taken the form of the pr-esent book. Be- 
ginning with small things it has grown to its present proportions — 
grown so that the Committee is actually giving to its subscribers 
a work of nearly double the size r.nd quadruple the value of that at 
first contemplated. 

In the hurry of preparation — for it must be borne in mind that 
all these materials have been gathered and put into their present 
form within three months, and by those actively engaged in the 
daily duties of life and business, and who also were deeply interested 
in the work of the Bi-Centennial Committee — it has been impos- 
sible to avoid some errors of construction and typography which 
would not have occurred had the book had, what it has been im- 
possible to give it, a thorough and careful revision. 

To John M. Broomall, Wm. H. Egle, LL. D., Daniel B. Thomson, 
William Ward, William B. Broomall, David 31. Johnson, John B. 
Hinkson, Henry B. Edwards, Edmund Pennell, George M. Booth 
and others, are due thanks for information given. The Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania and individual members have also kindly 
given assistance, and the Society has increased the obligation by 



IV Preface. 

permitting the use of the two original letters of William Penn, 
which appear mfac simile in this book, one of which has been but 
lately recovered and not before published in this form. 

Smith's Atlas of Delaware County, Flavill's Map of Chester, with 
original deeds and surveys, have been the authorities for two of 
the maps while the third is almost a/ac simile copy of a rough draft 
belonging to William B. "Broomall, Esq., dated about 1765. 

We are also indebted to the Evening News Publishing Company 
for the use of several plates kindly loaned by them.. 



The Maps. 



THE MAPS. 



The first map represents the older or Historical part of the city of Chester. The 
heavy black lines are the boundaries of old grants and patents of the Swedish Gov- 
ernment and the Proprietary. The lighter black lines define the course of the old 
roads. The dotted lines shov/ the present course of Chester creek and the water front 
and the streets of the modern city. The notable historic spots are as follows: 
^—Landing place of William Penn on Front street, fifty feet east of the east line of 
Penn street. The spot is now marked by the Memorial Stone presented to the 
city by members of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Penn Club. 
5— Old Well, Essex House. 
C — Site of Essex House. 
D — Site of Boar's Head Inn. 

E — Site of the Sandeland Double House, in which the First Assembly convened. Be- 
tween this and the old Prison stood the first Friends Meeting House, built 1693. 
F — Site of Work House, 1724. 
G — Site of Prison, 1724. 

.^— Site of David Lloyd's House, afterwards known as the Porter Mansion, built 1721. 
/—Site of Market House, Market Square. 
JT— Site of old House of Defence. 
XXX — Jasper Yeates' Granary. 



BUILDINGS STILL STANDING. 

I — Prothonotary's Office. 
II — Court House, 1724. 
HI — Richard Barry's Tavern, 1735, now Columbia House. 
IV — Pennsylvania Arms, now Washington Hotel, built 1747. 
V — Hope Anchor Inn. David Cowpland. 
VI— Morgan (Dr. Terrill) House. 
VII — David Cowpland House, now Stacey House. 
VIII — James Sandeland's prior to 1700, now Lafayette House. 
IX — Cobourn (Flickwir) House. 



VI The Maps. 



X— Old Log House. 
XI — Blue Ball Inn. Francis Richardson. 1765. 
XII — Francis Richardson, 1760, now Steamboat Hotel. 
XIII — Thomas Barber's House. 
XIV — Logan House. Jasper Yeates. 1700. 
XV— Dick House. Robert Barber. 1700. 
XVI — David Lloyd's first House prior to 1703. 
XVII — Francis Richardson. 1765. 
XVIII — Ashbridge House. 1725. 

XIX — The Anderson Mansion. 1803. 

XX — Graham House. Built by John Hoskins, 1688. Oldest house in Chester. 
XXI — Henry Hale Graham's Office. 
XXII— Old Prison. 1695. 
-XXIII— Old Court House. 1685. 
XXIV — Pennsylvania Arms. 1720, now City Hotel. 

XXV — Jacob Howell's House. 
XXVI — Isaac Eyre's House. 
XXVII — Johnson Tavern. 
XXVIII — Jonas Sandelands. 1723. 

XXIX — Black Bear Inn. Early part of last century. 
XXXI — Friends' Meeting House. 1736. 

The second map is also historical, giving the lines of old grants and patents and 
name of grantee, with dates; also oldnamesof streams and roads. The scale, how- 
ever, is so reduced as to cover the entire ground now occupied by the city of Chester 
and adjacent boroughs. 

The third map is almost 2ifac simile copy on a greatly reduced scale, of a rough 
draft in possession of W. B. Broomall, Esq., of Chester. It must date about 1765, 
and historically is very interesting. 



■ ^--f-i^^-y O'y^ ^ys^ 










UNPUBLISHED LETTER OF WILLIAJM PENJM. 



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PENN'S LETTEF^ FROM UPLAND. 



ERRATA 



Page 8, line-23. Fort Cassimere is located near Wilmington— should be New Castle' 

" 9, " 31, Hard-Knobbing Peter should be Hard-Kopping Peet. 

" 19, " 34, for Proud's History of Penna., read Clarlt son's Life of Penn. 

•' 27, " S7, for Old Mixon read Oldmixon. 

" 31, " 23, for Col. Custer, of 3d Va. Infantry, read Col. Cropper, 9th Va. Infantry. 

' 38, " 26, for Northeasterly direction read Southeasterly. 

" 39, '' 7, for ten bushels read ten barrels. 

" 44, " 25, for Abgadon Mills read Algodon Mills. 

" 45, '• 36, for "to the coming of the first settlers of their names will be almost 
coeval wh'ch was of Penn himself," read "first settlers of their 
name which was almost coeval with that of Penn himself." 

" 48, " 3, date 1665, read 1695. 

'.' 52, " 15, for date "1874" read 1724;. also line 28, for "William Beatty" read 
Frank Beatty. 

•' 54, " 28. the date "1819" should be October, 1821. Dr. Egle, the Historian, in- 
informs me that William Wilson lived and died in the Hummels-- 
town cave, in the Swatara mountains, Dauphin county, at the 
time mentioned above. 

" 70, for Zedemiah Wyatt read Zedekiah Wyatt. 

" 78, " 15, for "Charles Jackson," read Charles Thomson, 

" 83, " 13, 14, 19, for Aubury Bevan read Aubrey Bevan. 

" 86, " 16, for June 1, 1871, read June 1, 1870. 

" 97, " 18, it isstated that Jane Mather, after the death of her first husband. Dr. 
Paul Jackson, the following year marriea Dr. David Jackson, 
and on page 193, line 12, it is said that Jane married the latter 
three years after her first' husband's death. The latter statement 
is correct. Her first husband died in 1767, and her second mar- 
riage took place in 1770. 

" 100, " 27, for date "1686'.' read 1689.' 

" 106, " 16, for Northeast of Second and Market streets, read Northeast corner of ' 
Second and Market streets 

" 144, " 4, "the present building, as well as the house in which Mrs. Gray still 
resides," Should readi"the present building in which Mrs. Gray 
.still resides." 

" 145, " 35, for in April, 1798, read 1789, and in line 38, for "it was in this year," 
read "it was in the year 1798. 

" 181, " 12, for "Joseph Teates," read "Jasper Yeates." 

" 198, " 29, for "1776" read 1876. 

" 212, " 15, for "composed of honorably discharged soldiers of the United States 
Army," read "'composed of honorably discharged soldiers and 
sailors of the TTnited States Army and Navy during the War of 
the Rebellion." 

" 221, " 3, for "free public institutions," read "free public instruction." 



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EIGHT 




HISTORICAL SKETCH OF CHESTER, 

1644--1682. 



€Mm&Tmm ®efq>em tme ^Mmir^m @f Wm» 'Peww^ 



THE City of Chester, located on the West bank of the Delaware 
river, is about four miles to the northward of the Delaware 
State line, and about eighteen miles below Philadelphia, when 
measured by the river from Market street wharf in one city, to the 
wharf of the like name in the other ; while by the Philadelphia and 
Baltimore Post-road, from Front and Market streets, Philadelphia, 
where the Court House formerly stood, to the old Court House on 
Market street, in our city, the distance is fifteen miles. The stone, 
thus marked, is still to be seen against the foundation walls of the 
building, near the door at the foot of the staircase leading to the 
Mayor's office. 

It is our boast that the first permanent colonization of Euro- 
peans in Pennsylvania was made in Delaware county, and certainly 
the first settlement, of which we have any authentic record, was at 
Tinicum Island, about four miles above the present City of Chester. 
The claim of Monroe county, that long before the arrival of Gover- 
nor Printz and the Swedes on the Delaware, the Dutch had made a 
permanent lodgement at Minisink, and had built a road extending 
from Esopus— founded, as we know, on the Hudson, in 1616 — to 
the Delaware, communicating with mines near the Blue Mountains, 
and with numerous Dutch settlements along the flats above the Kit- 



2 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

tatinny, is not wanting in evidence to sustain tlie assertion. But, 
be that as it may, it is not germane to my purpose to discuss the 
early settlement on the Delaware, but shall limit myself to the City 
of Chester proper, and a few of the surrounding localities. The 
recent exhaustive historical researches into the records of the early 
colonists in this vicinity by Prof. Gregory B. Keen, furnishes us 
with much light on the early days of Upland, while it was a Swe- 
dish province, and I have freely drawn upon his labor. 

In 1644, the present site of Chester, East of the creek of that 
name, was a tobacco plantation, occupied by farm servants in the 
employment of the Swedish company. About that time many of 
the colonists began to seek grants of the broad acres on the main 
lands, and the ground between Bidley and Chester creeks was se- 
lected by Joran Keen, and to him the Swedish government granted 
a patent for a tract of land one and a half miles inland, following 
the right bank of Chester creek above its mouth, and reaching 
along the Delaware eastward as far as Ridley creek. The plot at 
its north-western limit at the present "Crozer Theological Semi- 
nary," was a half mile in breadth, and a diagonal line ran thence 
eastwardly to Ridley creek. Joran Keen, or Kyn, (as his name 
was written by the Swedes and also from his peculiar complexion, 
known as "snohuitt" or "snow white") was one of the earliest 
European residents upon the Delaware river within the boundaries 
of the present State of Pennsylvania, and for more than a quarter 
of a century, was the chief proprietor of lands at Upland, after- 
wards Chester. He was born in Sweden about 1620, and came to 
America, in company with Governor Printz, in the ship " Fama," 
which arrived at New Castle, February 15th, 1643, at " 2 o'clock in 
the afternoon," of that day. The new Governor removed to the 
more commanding port of Tutaeaenungh, or Tinicum, where he 
built a fort, provided it with considerable armament, which he 
named Nya Gortheborg, and " also caused to be built a mansion 
house and other conveniences," which was called by the proprietor 
Printzhoff." Here resided Joran Keen, a soldier whose duty was 
to attend daily upon the governor and travel with that dignitary 
wherever he might go, as one of his Excellency's body guard. As 
before stated, Keen received the grant of a royal tract of ground, 
and, it is believed, that when Colonel Printz left the colony to return 



Chester before the Arrival of Wm. Penn, 1644-1682. 8 

to Swederij Keen resigned his military position and gave his undi- 
vided attention to agriculture. 

The land on the West bank of Chester creek, extending along 
the river as far as Marcus Hook, Queen Christina, of Sweden, 
granted to Captain John Ammundson Besk, " his wife and heirs," 
by patent, dated August 20, 1653, in consideration of faithful ser- 
vices he had rendered to the State. Besk, who is believed to have 
been a man of large means, never entered into possession of thiS' 
vast tract of ground, and it seems to have been held and claime:! 
by Armigart Papegoya, the daughter of the first Swedish Gover- 
nor, Printz. In a letter from the Dutch Vice Director, Beekman. 
under date of September 14, 1662, he writes : " I inquired into the 
situation of a certain lot of land on the Southwest side of Upland 
Kill, and was informed by the Swedish Commissaries and other an- 
cient inhabitants of said nation, that the aforesaid is called Printz's 
village, which has always been in possession during 16 years of the 
Swedish Governor, John Printz, and his daughter who owns it." 

Many of the early Swedish settlers were not of a class to be de- 
sired as founders of a new empire, for the recent investigation of 
Professor Odhner. of the University of Lund, Sweden, among the 
archives of that nation, discloses the fact that quite a number of 
criminals and forest-destroying Finns were transported to the 
Delaware river settlements to rid the mother country of their pre- 
sence. The Finns just mentioned, had, m violation of the man- 
dates of the royal government, set fire to the forests in Yarmland 
and Dal, that they might free the ground of trees to sow grain in 
the ashes, and for this act they were banished to the New World. 
Professor Odhner directly asserts that, in the Province of Skara- 
borg, a trooper, who was condemned to death for having broken 
into the monastery gardens at Varnhem, was permitted to make 
his selection between being hanged or embarking for New Sweden, 
and as late as 1653 a criminal, who had been convicted of killing 
an elk on the island D'Auland, was sentenced to transportation 
hither. 

I have no doubt many of these felons safely landed, notwith- 
•standing the assertion of Campanius that ''when the European in- 
habitants (along the Delaware) perceived it, they would not suffer 
them to set foot on shore, but they were all obliged to return, so 



4 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

that a great many of them perished on the voyage." Nor is it 
strictly correct, that conveying convicts here " was after this for- 
bidden under a penalty * * * lest Almighty God should let 
His vengeance fall on the ships and goods, and the virtuous people 
that were on board." There can be no question that the better 
class of Swedes made earnest efforts to prevent the importation of 
these obnoxious emigrants, but at the same time it should not be 
overlooked that the inhuman criminal code of every European na- 
tion, at that period, punished severely the encroachments of the 
people on the exclusive privileges of the wealthy, as the governing 
class looked upon the dawning spirit of liberty among the masses 
to be, and hence many of those who were transported, in our day 
would have been regarded as innocent of any real crime against 
morals or the State. Indeed, Lieutenant-Colonel Johan Printz, the 
first Governor of the colony, so far as the permanent settlement of 
Pennsylvania was concerned, had himself been dismissed the ser- 
vice, because of his dishonorable capitulation of the fortress of 
Chemnitz during the war between Sweden and Germany. What- 
ever had been his conduct as a soldier in Europe, his administra- 
tion of affairs in this country was that of a wise and able executive. 

It is, doubtless, due to this criminal element among the early resi- 
dents of Upland — including at that time the whole settled part of 
Pennsylvania — that we find in that remote period of our history, in- 
temperance as a distinguishing infirmity, and, as I shall hereafter 
show, a vice in which the clergyman and the schoolmaster of that 
day indulged to a noticeable degree. 

The houses of the early Swedish settlers were built of logs, and 
the doors were so low that a person of ordinary stature was com- 
pelled to stoop in entering or leaving the buildings, while the apart- 
ments within had low ceilings, hardly over six feet in the clear, and 
the roughly hewed joists supporting the attic, wherein a child 
could hardly stand upright, were devoid of laths and plaster. The 
windows were small, mere frames set in the logs, and although the 
families who indulged in more costly luxuries than their neighbors 
had the openings glazed with isinglass, in general only a rough 
board slide shut out the cold on extreme winter days, and was usu- 
ally closed during the night. The chimneys with huge fire-places, 
were occasionally built of gray sandstone, in the corners of the 



Chester before the Arrival of Wm. Penn, 1644-1682. 5 

rooms, but oftener the stacks were erected of turf on the outside 
of the houses and in the middle of the gables. In many of the 
early dwellings, small rooms just large enough to spread a bed were 
partitioned off from the main lower apartments, and the floors Avere 
laid in stone, or, oftener, simply clay, which by constant use be- 
came very hard. 

The usual dress of the Swedish people on the Delaware, of those 
primitive days, was strongly but rudely fashioned of sliins of ani- 
mals, and their heads were covered with caps of the same material^ 
the hair clinging to the hide. Their shoes, very similar in form to 
the Indian moccasins, were made from the skins of animals slain in^ 
the chase. The women were also compelled to employ the same 
material in making their jackets and petticoats, and the beds were 
covered with deer, wolf and bear skins. Many of the heads of 
families had the apparel they had worn at home in Europe safely 
packed away, which, on occasions of public festivals, were ceremo- 
niously brought forth and donned by the owner, to the admiration 
of the young people born in the colony. Unfortunately the Swedes, 
both men and women, were addicted to an over indulgence in in- 
toxicating liquors, and frequent mention is made of the trouble 
this propensity occasioned them in trivial suits and complaints be- 
fore the Courts of that day. 

Among the most prominent of the early Swedish settlers was 
Dominie Laurence Lock — his name appears in several ways on the 
old records — who comported himself with such freedom of behavior 
in his ministerial office that even, although nearly two centuries 
have elapsed since his death, the scandal which his deeds occa- 
sioned has descended to the present time. He is stated by Mr. 
Clay, in his Annals — most excellent authority on all matters apper- 
taining to the Swedish Church on the Delaware — to have come to 
this country during the time of Governor Printz; that he had 
preached at Tinicum and Christiana, and was for many years " the 
only clergyman the Swedes had." In the year 1661, the Dominie's 
wife, yielding to the dulcet pleading and more youthful attraction 
of one Jacob Young — or as it was sometimes written, Jacob Jougb 
— fled with the latter to the dwelling of Andries Hendricssen, a 
Finn, of notoriously bad character in Upland. The clergyman, 
when he discovered that his wife had eloped and had gone to Hen- 



6 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

cTricssen's house, followed them thither, but too late to overtake the 
runaways. The Dominie, finiling that the door to one of the rooms 
was closed, broke it open with an axe, and with the sxuie imple- 
ment unlocked a trunk belonging to Jacob Young, which he found 
in the apartment The trunk contained very little of value belong- 
ing to his wife, save a few pairs of stockings, which the clergyman 
carried away with him, leaving an inventory of the articles he had 
taken. The keen sense of the magisterial dignity among the justi- 
ces was shocked by this attempt on the part of the Dominie to take 
the righting of his wrongs in his own hands, and the Dutch Vice Di- 
rector Beekman, as Sheriff, brought suit against the clergyman for 
having infringed on his office. The case was tried at Altona (now New 
Castle, Del.) Vice Director Beekman was the Presiding Judge, with 
three others as associate justices. The unfortunate defendant was 
convicted of usurping the authority of the Court, and the manner 
in which the Presiding Judge managed to settle all of the male fu- 
gitive's outstanding accounts in the sentence was remarkable. 
Jacob Young, it seems, had been intrusted with two hundred gild- 
ers to buy corn for the Dutch Company, and he also owed a Mr. 
Dicker, and Judge Beekman, forty beaver skins, and, as he had 
fled Avith Lock's wife, the abandoned husband, for having broken 
open Young's trunk, was compelled to make good all the debts 
Avhich the latter had left unpaid, and " besides, an award of forty 
guilders for having usurped the authority of the Court." 

The justices believed that the fugitives had fled to Maryland, and 
sent an express there in search of them. In that opinion the 
Court was correct, for, in 1698, this Jacob Young, who had settled 
in Cecil county, was appointed one of the Commissioners of Mary- 
land to treat with the Delaware Indians. The impetuous Dominie, 
believing that it was not good for man to live alone, in three weeks 
after his wife eloped, procured a divorce, and by his authority as 
minister, on Sunday married himself — personally performing the 
ceremony — to a young girl of about seventeen summers. The di- 
vorce, seeming to be irregular, at his trial Andreas Hudde, as Sec- 
retary, informed him that his last marriage was illegal. The per- 
plexed clergyman petitioned the Governor for relief, but with what 
success I have failed to learn. 

In 1664, Rev. Abelius Zetscoven was called by the congregation, 



Chester before the Arrival of Wm. Penn, 1644-1682. 7 

who had become weary of Dominie Lock and desired a new minis- 
ter and schoolmaster, but the latter was loath to relinquish his 
charge The new clergyman preached at Tinicum Church on the 
last Monday of Pentecost, at the request of the Swedish Commis- 
sioners, but the opposition of the incumbent was so vehement 
that the Commissioners had to threaten Mr. Lock with a protest to 
the Government, before he would permit the candidate to occupy 
the pulpit. The Dominie was the owner of much land in Chester, 
and seems to have had an eye to turning a penny wherever he 
could, which inclination brought him before the Court in 1676, on 
a charge of selling liquor to the Indians, which was prohibited by 
law. Not only did he sell it, but as one of the annalists of those 
early times narrates, his '< great infirmity seems to have been an 
over-fondness for intoxicating drinks. It may, however, be in- 
ferred that he became reformed in his later years, for in 1674, he 
purchased property formerly occupied by UUe Stille, at the mouth 
of Ridley creek, (now Eddystone,) and, we are informed by Cam- 
panius, that he died in the Lord, in 1688." Three years before his 
death, in a case tried at a Court held January 11, 1685, the Reve- 
rend gentleman was, in the testimony, accused of attempting to 
suborn a witness in respect to a b irgain and sale he had made of 
his house in Upland, to Justa Anderson. The jury found a verdict 
in favor of the plaintiff, with costs of suit and twenty pounds 
damages. 

Chester, in 1645-'46, was a place of such insignificance that An- 
dreas Hudde, an agent of the Dutch, who was sent by Grovernor 
Kieft, as a spy, to learn the condition and number of the Swedes on 
the Delaware river, as well as to ascertain the strength, armament 
and military force of the latter, makes no mention of it in his re- 
port to his superior officer. It is even doubtful, whether, at that 
time, Joran Keen had erected a house on his land, inasmuch as in 
the " Rulla," dated by Printz at "Kihrstina" (Christiana,) June 
20, 1644, the statement appears that Upland was a tobacco planta- 
tion, as already mentioned. Between the years 1646 and 1648, a 
considerable settlement must have been made at this point, for in 
Hudde's interview with the Passyunk Indians, in that year, they 
spoke of Upland, among other places, in the possession of the 
Swedes, and charge the latter with having stolen the land from 



8 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

them, while in Campanius' account of New Sweden, " Mecopo- 
nacka," or Upland, is mentioned in the year 1648, (the date of the 
elder Campanius' return to Sweden,) "as an unfortified place, but 
some houses were built there. It was situated between Fort Chris- 
tina, (near Wilmington) and New Gottenburg — Tinicum — but 
nearer the latter. There was a fort built there some time dfter its 
settlement, it is good even land along the river shore." 

Ebeling, in his History of Pennsylvania, says that about 1650 
there were two Swedish and Finnish settlements in this vicinity, 
called Upland and Finland — the former afterwards received the 
name of Chester ; " none of these settlements, however, were of im- 
portance, not even excepting Upland, which was made the chief 
place of a judicial district by the Dutch in 1668." 

The Indian name of the site of the present City of Chester was 
Mecoponacka : the Swedish, Upland ; the Dutch, Oplandt ; and the 
English, Chester and Upland indifferently until the former entirely 
absorbed the latter in designating the borough, about the middle 
of the last century. The proper Indian name of Chester creek was 
Meechoppenackhan, according to Heckewelder, in his " Indian 
Names," which signified the large potato stream, " or the stream 
along which large potatoes grow." This was corrupted into Maco- 
panachan, Macopanackhan, and finally into Mecopanacha. The In- 
dian tribe which owned the land whereon Chester stands, according 
to John Hill Martin, was the Okehockings, and were subsequently 
removed by the order of William Penn, in 1702, to <' the tract in 
Chester county, formerly laid out to GrrifFy Jones, but now vacant." 
Many of the Indians were soon reduced to menial servitude by the 
Euro])ean settlers, and previous to 1657 negro slaves had been 
brought to the colony and used as laborers. 

In the year 1655, the Swedish power on the Delaware ceased, 
when, in September of that year, Peter Stuyvesant, the redoubtable 
Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam, appeared off Fort Cassimer 
— near the present Wilmington — with seven vessels carrying about six 
hundred soldiers, and compelled the fort to capitulate on the 11th 
of that month. The wonderful deeds of arms performed on that 
occasion are duly heralded in the philosophical history of the late 
Mr. Diedrich Knickerbocker, but, for our purpose, it is necessary 
merely to state that the whole Swedish provinces along the Dela- 



Chester before (lie Arrival of Wm. fV?^??, 1644-1682. 9 

ware fell with that fortress, and Upland, among the others, passed 
into the ownership of the Dutch. The conquerors were the veriest 
wantons in their victory. They killed the cattle, goats, swine and 
poultry of the Swedish settlers, broke open their houses, and robbed 
them of all they had that was valuable. Rysingh, the Swedish 
Governor, in his letter to Stuyvesant, particularly mentions the 
plundering of Upland, as well as other hamlets further up the riv- 
er, and at Tinicum, he says, " they robbed Mr Papegoya's wife" 
(daughter of Governor Printz) " of all she had." It should be re- 
membered that the Swedes, before the arrival of Penn, always set- 
tled near the tide water, and their usual means of communication 
and transportation was by boats. Indeed, it is recorded that they 
would come from New Castle to Tinicum in this way to attend di- 
vine service on Sundays, when the Dominie preached at the latter 
church, and as they rarely traveled by land, no highways were ne- 
cessary from settlement to settlement other than the Indian trails 
through the forests, which, owing to the latter's habit of firing the 
woodlands every Fall, was free from under-brush. 

The Dutch found their conquest a costly one, and earnest were 
their efforts to govern the^^territory without bringing on a collision 
between the conquered and the conquerors. To this end they or- 
dered that all the Swedes should gather themselves together in vil- 
lages, at several designated points, one of which was Upland. The 
Swedes, however, seemed to quietly neglect to obey this order, and 
rightly so, for it would have compelled them to have abandoned 
many of their homesteads and improvements absolutely. Al- 
though Stuyvesant believed that the Swedes, in their dislike of 
the Dutch, were anxious that England might acquire the Province, 
and had for that reason issued the order alluded to, William Beek- 
man, the Lieutenant-Governor, did not attempt to compel compli- 
ance with this mandate of " Hard-Kopping Piet." 

The settlement of the territory was tardy, not more than seven- 
teen hundred Europeans, all told, are believed to have been on the 
Delaware river in the year 1659. The number of inhabitants at 
this place could not have exceeded a hundred souls. Dr. Smith 
thinks that Upland was at this time the most considerable settle- 
ment in the Province, which afterwards became Pennsylvania, and 
that Hendrick Huygens, the Dutch Commissioner, four years later 



10 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

had taken up his residence here, because he reported to Vice Di- 
rector Beekman, in the year 1663, " a horrid deed " that was com- 
mitted at this place by a Finn, named Jan Hendrickson, against "the 
honest Juriaen Kuys Sneart, whom he had cruelly beaten." The 
letter of Huygens, in which he alludes to the violent assault upon 
" the pious Juriaen Snewit," — Jurian Keen — snohuitt, (snow white) 
" a man who has never irritated a child even," by " a miscreant " 
of Upland, is dated at " Tinnackunk, 29th M'ch, 1663." The 
desperado, it seemed, had made an assault on Joran Keen, previous 
to the one mentioned, and had threatened his life ; but the good- 
hearted Swede had promised to overlook it, if he, Hendrickson, 
made no further trouble, lie did, however, and the evidence on 
the trial shows that the Finn was a terror to the people of Upland. 
The judges banished Hendrickson fi'om the jurisdiction of the 
(Jourt, and he seems to have removed to the vicinity of New Cas- 
tle, where he was afterwards connected with acts of violence and 
disorder. 

In September, 1664, Col. Richard Nicolls captured New Amster- 
dam, and, of course, the dependencies on the Delaware river passed 
into the ownership of the English without further resistance — an 
event which was welcomed by the Swedes and Finns with manifes- 
tations of pleasure. Near the close of the year 1669, an attempt 
at "insurrection" was made by Marcus Jacobson, alias "John 
Binckton," &c,, but popularly known to the people as the " Long 
Finn, or Swede," which name was given him because of his lofty 
stature. He was an adventurer who represented himself to be a 
son of the noted Swedish General, Conneugsraark. It is the gene- 
ral opinion of historians that his intention was to bring about a 
general insurrection of the dissatisfied settlers against the authority 
of Great Britain, and the re-establishraent of the Swedish power 
on the Delaware. His chief associate in this effort was Henry 
Coleman, a Finn, who was a wealthy man, as wealth was then re- 
garded, and Mrs. Pappegoya and the Reverend Laurence Lock, 
both looked kindly on the enterprise. Captain Carre, having in- 
formed Governor Lovelace, the then English Governor, of the 
brewing rebellion, he was instructed to have the "Long Finn" and 
his associates arrested, which was done. The leader was put in 



"Chester before the arrival of Wnu Penw, 1644-1682. 11 

irons, while the others were bound over to answer the charge to be 
made against them when required to do so. 

Henry Coleman, however, fled to the Indians, with whom he had 
much influence, abandoning his property absolutely. What became 
of him after his flight is unknown. The "Long Finn" was tried at 
New Castle, December 6, 1669, and, as was to be expected, he was 
found guilty, but, by order of the Governor, the death penalty was 
not enforced, because "many would suffer if the rigor of the law 
should be extended, and among them divers simple and io^norant 
people; it is thought fit and ordered that the said 'Long Finn' shall 
be publicly and severely whipped, and stigmatized or branded in 
the face with the letter 'R ;' with an inscription written in oreat 
letters and put upon his breast ; that he receive that punishment 
for attempted rebellion ; after which he be secured until he can be 
sent and sold to the Barbadoes or some other of the remoter plan- 
tations." On the 28th of January, following, he was placed on 
board the ship "Fort Albany," to be transported and sold at the 
Barbadoes, in accordance with his sentence, which had been an- 
nounced to the Commissioners to try the case, before the hearino^ 
by the Governor in New York. Coleman's property was forfeited 
to His Majesty, the King, while the others implicated in his at- 
tempted disturbances, were fined in the discretion of the Court. 

In 1671, the inhabitants along the Delaware were apprehensive 
that an Indian war was imminent, inasmuch as two whites had been 
murdered by the savages, and it was generally reported that the 
Indians were making preparations to massacre all the Europeans 
settled along the river. The authorities took active measures to 
prepare for the emergency. Every male that could bear arms be- 
tween the ages of sixteen and sixty, was instructed to be always 
provided "with a convenient proportion of powder and bullets," 
while sale of ammunition to the Indians was interdicted, and no 
corn or other provision was permitted to be exported. A meeting 
between the Indian Sachems and the whites was held at Upland, at 
the house of Peter Rambo — a prominent man of his time — in Octo- 
ber of that year, and the Indians agreed to bring the murderers to 
the whites within six days thereafter, that they might be punished 
for their crime. At any rate they agreed that they would deliver 
their bodies to the authorities dead or alive. One of the guilty 



12 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

braves escaped from his people and could not be delivered as 
promised, but the other was captured. It is reported that one of 
the two Indians who had taken him was a personal friend and was 
loath to kill his captive, but when the latter learned that the Sach- 
ems had determined he must die, he requested that their order 
should be immediatly obeyed. His body was taken to Wiccaco 
and delivered to the whites who transported it to New Castle, 
where it was hung in chains. The Sachems faithfully notified the 
tribes that any of their people who should murder a white person 
would be similarly dealt with, and with that annunciation the war 
cloud drifted by 

March 21, 1675, Amigard Papegoya conveyed the estate known 
as Printzdorp — which included a large part of the now South ward 
• — to Robert Wade. The latter person and his wife, Lydia, are said 
by Dr. Smith and Martin to have come over to this country in the 
ship "Griffin," with John Fenwick, in 1675, and were the first mem- 
bers of the Society of Friends known to reside in Upland. The au- 
thors cited are wrong in their first statement as to the date of Wade's 
arrival here, having fallen into that error by a mistaken deduction 
from the statement of William Edmundson, an eminent minister 
of the Society of Friends, who in the year 1675 visited Upland, 
and held a meeting at W ade's house. Both the authors cited state 
that Mrs. Papegoya, in all probability built the Essex House, and 
that Wade purchased from her, or some other person, the estate 
with the improvements thereon. In this, however, they are mistaken, 
for Mrs. Papegoya lived at Tinicum until she returned to Sweden, 
and was so desperately poor from inability to procure farm labor- 
ers, that the authorities were compelled to assist her with supplies 
of food. The subsequent fine imposed upon her for her complicity 
in the "Long Finn's" Rebellion rendered her means even more lim- 
ited than they were before, and it was impossible that she could 
have erected a building of the character of the famous Essex House. 
Martin states that the name of this Robert Wade appears in the 
list of the passengers in the "Grriffin," which arrived in the Dela- 
ware, 23d of 9th month, (November,) 1675. This we know is in- 
correct for Wade was in this country long before the date given, 
while Lydia, his wife, was in England, for letters are extant from 
him, addressed to his wife, informing her of his purchase of land. 



Chester before the Arrival of Wm. Perm, 1644-1682. 13 

In the year 1673, the colony of New York and its dependencies 
on the Delaware was re-captured by the Dutch, but before six 
months had elapsed the red-crossed banner of St. George waved 
once more over the territory, never to be supplanted except by 
the standard of the United States of America. With the con- 
quest of New York and New Sweden, the charter of the Duke of 
York revived, and the English authority was re-established in the 
provinces, with Edmund Andross, Esq., as Governor, under His 
Royal Highness, James, Duke of York and Albany, with Captain 
Carre as Commander on the Delaware. It was during the latter's 
term of office that the "Duke's Book of Lawes" was promulgated. 
Under this new order of affairs three judicial districts were estab- 
lished, one of which was at Upland. 

On March 4th, 1681, Charles II. signed the Great Charter which 
conveyed to William Penn the enormous tract of land now known 
as Pennsylvania, and from that period our early annals become 
more interesting, for from that time we may date the actual found- 
ing of this great Commonwealth. Almost immediately thereafter 
Penn sent his first cousin, William Markham, to the colony as his 
Deputy Governor. It is presumed that he came over in the ship 
•'John and Sarah," from London, commanded by Henry Smith, 
which was the first to arrive here after the grant was made to Penn. 
for previous to June 21, 1681, the new Governor had presented hi& 
commission from Penn to the authorities at New York, and had 
assumed the reins of government on the Delaware. On August 
3, 1681, Governor Markham was at Upland, for he not only had 
appointed his Council, but on the date last mentioned the members 
took and subscribed to the oath of office. Governor Markham was 
intrusted by the King with a letter to Lord Baltimore, which stated 
that his commission authorized him to settle all disputes respecting 
the boundary of the territory granted to Penn with his neighbors, 
and inasmuch as the King's letter required that the parties should 
meet to adjust these boundaries, Lord Baltimore came to Upland, 
where, during his interview with Markham, it was found by astro- 
nomical observation that this place was twelve miles south of the 
parallel of 40 degrees, which was the southern boundary of Penn- 
sylvania. This fact effectually put an end to the purposes of the 
meeting, and from it arose the long controversy between the Penns 



14 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

and Lords Baltimore, which was only set at rest by the running of 
the celebrated "Mason and Dixon line." 

After Penn acquired ownership of the Province he brought the 
colony into such prominence that the influx of settlers became so 
sreat that during the year 1681 twenty-three English ships arrived 
in the Delaware, and as Upland was the most considerable place 
within the Province of Pennsylvania, most of them anchored here 
and disembarked their passengers. So large was the demand thus 
made upon the hamlet that the new comers were compelled, in 
many instances, to dig caves in the ground, near the river bank, 
wherein they took up their abode until they could construct perma- 
nent habitations. These caves were mere excavations, or cellars 
in the bank, and were about three feet in depth, while over these 
openings brush was placed so as to form an arched roof about six 
feet in the clear, which was covered with sods. In such a cave as 
this Emanuel Grrubb was born, near Upland, in 1683. The suffer- 
ings of these settlers were great, for it should be remembered that 
most of them were "not people of low circumstances, but substan- 
tial livers," and in the work of constructing these rude habitations, 
women who had been used to all the refinements and comforts of 
English life at that day were compelled to take part, and aided 
their husbands and fathers therein, for hired labor was scarce and 
could hardly be had at any price. 

The winter of 1681 was extremely cold, and on the 11th of De- 
cember, when the ship "Bristol Factor," Rodger Drew, Command- 
er, came to Chester, the passengers, seeing the small cluster of 
dwellings, landed near the Essex House, and, as the river was sol- 
idly frozen over the night following the ship's arrival, the passen- 
gers were compelled to remain in Upland "all winter." 

On September 12, 1682, Deputy Grovernor Markham presided in 
pet son at the Court held on that date at Upland, and the first Grand 
Jury ever known in Pennsylvania was summoned to attend its ses- 
sion, while several other important incidents of judicial procedure 
are for the first time noted in our history in the records of that 
tribunal. 

Penn, who in the meanwhile had been extremely busy with many 
schemes looking to the advancement of his colonial possessions, at 
length determined to embark for Pennsylvania, and, on the 30th 



Chester before the Arrival of Wm. Penn, 1644-1682. 15 

clay of the sixth month, (August— for the Friends of those clays 
computed the year as beginning on the first of March,) he sailed 
from Deal in the ship " Welcome," of three hundred tons burthen, 
Robert Greenaway, Commander, accompanied by about one hun- 
dred companions, mostly Friends, from e^\issex, England. The 
voyage was lengthy, (small-pox having broken out on the vessel, of 
which disease thirty of the emigrants died on the passage), and on 
the 27th day of October, 1682, the " Welcome" stopped at New 
Castle, where Penn landed, and took possession of the three lower 
counties, with all the pomp and circumstance usual at that time, 
in the formal transfer of estates. It is known he stayed at New 
Castle all night, and the next day the vessel stood up the river and 
cast anchor off the mouth of Chester creek, opposite the house of 
Robert Wade, for, as is stated in the manuscript book of Evan 
Oliver, a passenger on the " Welcome," " We arrived at Uplan in 
pensilvania in America, ye 28th of ye 8 month, '82." 



CHESTER FROM THE ARRIVAL OF WM. 
PENN TO THE YEAR 1850. 



VERY little is known of the general history of Chester, at the 
time of the arrival of Penti at this place, October 28, 1682, 
and a plan of the settled part of the then town would disclose a mere 
cluster of dwellings near the mouth of Chester creek, and a few 
houses might have been discerned here and there peeping out from 
among the forest trees. Certain it is, that the settlement was very 
small, for in 1702, two decades after Penn's first visit to his colony, 
Holm tells us " Macoponaca, which is called Chester, was a bare 
place, without a Fort, but there were some stone houses built 
there " Doubtless as the sturdy group of emigrants — who gathered 
at the side of their tall, slender, but graceful, leader, then in his 
thirty-eighth year — gazed from the deck of the " Welcome" over 
to the little hamlet of which they had heard so much in " merry 
England" — three thousand miles away — their hearts sank for a 
moment when they contrasted the realization with the picture their 
fancy had drawn of the New World to which they had come. And 
yet at that time Nature had painted the forests in every variety of 
.rainbow hue. The yellow leaves of the dog-wood, the deep orange 
of the oak, the maple with its red and golden foliage, the thousand 
shades which only an American Autumn can disclose, were present, 
while here and there could be seen among the trees the brilliantly 
fire-tinted sumach, and the wild creeping vines that entwined them- 
selves about the trunks of the towering oaks, gorgeous in their 
chromatic mass of tints, greeting the eyes of the emigrants, while 
the Delaware — a river the like of which they never before beheld, 




PEx^ CO IT OP AR"\r«i 



Chester from the Arrival of Win. Penn to the year 1850. 17 

spreading nearly three miles to the further shore, shimmered and 
glistened under the afternoon sun of that October — really Novem- 
ber day. 

How they landed, where they were housed, or how entertained at 
that time, is not known: we have simply the record that William 
Penn was received by Robert Wade, at the Essex House. Wade 
had been nearly ten years settled at Upland, and the fact that he 
was a member of the Society of Friends, and a personal acquaint- 
ance in England, was doubtless the reason that Penn accepted his 
hospitality temporarily, for the dwelling of Kobert Wade was not 
at that time the most pretentious building in the hamlet, since 
we know that James Sandeland's " Double House" was more spa- 
cious; but he being a Churchman, was not drawn towards the 
Proprietary in the same manner as Wade I have heard the state- 
ment made that when a part of the cargo was being discharged 
from the " Welcome " on that occasion, a large cask or bale fell 
upon the arm or leg of one of the crew, and injured it so seriously 
that it became necessary to amputate the limb. It is said that 
there was but one surgeon at that time in the colony at Upland. 
The operation of taking off the limb is said to have been per- 
formed successfully under some trees near the present line of 
Front street, a short distance east of Essex street, now Concord 
avenue. The flow of blood was arrested by the application of 
boiling pitch to the stump of the limb. In doing this the doctor 
unfortunately dropped some of the pitch on his own clothes which 
ignited them, and he was burned so severely that he died shortly 
after, in great agony. This story has been told me several times 
by intelligent persons, descendants of the English settlers of that 
day, but I have been unable to find the slightest indication from . 
my researches that the event ever took place as narrated. I be- 
lieve the story is confused with an incident connected with the 
second coming of Penn, in 1699, to which I will refer in the pro- 
gress of the narrative. 

Before the year 1682, the present City of Chester was called by 
its inhabitants Upland, and is referred to in all the records under 
that title. It received that designation because the greater part 
of the early Swedish settlers in this neighborhood came from Up- 
land, a province in Middle Sweden, on the Baltic Sea, and their 



1 8 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

new home was thus named by reason of their love for the place of 
their birth, and because the natural appearance of the land here 
was strikingly similar to that of their fatherland. 

Dr. Smith, in referring to the landing of Penn, sxys : " He land- 
ed at Upland, but the place was to bear that familiar name no 
more forever. Without reflection, Penn determined that the name 
of the place should be changed. Turning round to his friend Pear- 
son, one of his own Society, who had accompanied him in the ship 
" Welcome," he said : ' Providence has brought us here safe. Thou 
hast been the companion of my perils. What wilt thou that I 
should call this place?' Pearson said, • Chester,' in remembrance 
of the city from whence he came. William Penn replied that it 
should be called Chester, and that when he divided the land into 
counties, one of them should be called by the same name. Thus 
-for a mere whim, the name of the oldest town ; the name of the 
whole settled part of the Province ; the name that woald have a 
place in the affections of a large majority of the inhabitants of the 
.new Province was effaced to gratify the capriee or vanity of a 
friend. All great men occasionally do little things." 

Although Dr. Smith cites Clarkson's Life of Penn, and Hazard's 
Annals, in support of this statement, it will not bear investigation. 
We know that Penn issued his proclamation three weeks after his 
arrival at Chester, to the several Sheriffs of the counties of Ches- 
ter, Philadelphia and Bucks, as well as the three Lower Counties, 
to hold an election for a Greneral Assembly, to convene at " Upland." 
The original letter of Penn, now in the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania, addressed to several gentlemen requesting them to meet 
him on the following "so-called Thursday, November 2, 1682," is 
dated "Upland, October 29, 1682," the day after his arrival, clear- 
ly indicates that he did not change the name of this city, in the 
dramatic manner tradition has stated. But more conclusive is the 
fact that in the list of the passengers on the "Welcome," Thomas 
Pearson's name does not appear, although in Armstrong's list the 

iname of Pearson is found, to which is added, "supposed to be 

Robert," a statement that may well be questioned. As this mythi- 
cal personage is represented to be an eminent member of the So- 
ciety of Friends, the records of meetings ought to disclose his 
Christian name, but it has never been found among the list of the 



Chester from the Arrival of Wm. Penn to the year 1850. 1& 

early settlers. Hence we have reason to believe that the first per- 
son of the name of Pearson in this Province was Thomas, and we 
know that neither of the Thomas Pearsons — for there were two of 
that name — came here until the following year, 1683. Thesecond 
of that cognomen in a diary memorandum written by himself, also 
in the Historical Society's collection, clearly states when he came. 
To quote his own words, after setting forth his various adventures, 
he says: — "On ye '25th day of July, in ye year 1683, I set sail from 
Kingroad, in ye ' Comfort,' John Reed, Master, and arrived at Up- 
land in Pennsylvania ye 28th of September 1683," almost a year after 
Penn's arrival. In the report of the vestry of St. Paul's Church, 
Chester, to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign 
Parts, in the year 1 704, occurs this sentence: "The people of Ches- 
ter county showed very early zeal to have the Church of England 
worship settled airiong them. This county is so called because 
most of the inhabitants of it came from Cheshire, in England. 
Chester the chief town of the county is finely situated on the river 
Delaware." 

Bampfylde Moore Carew, the celebrated "King of the Mendi- 
cants," who, while escaping from banishment in Virginia, passed 
through Chester in 1739, in relating his adventures, records that 
he came "to Chester, so called because the people who first settled 
there came for the most part from Cheshire. * * * The place 
is also called Upland." 

In fact the name of Chester, we know, was given to the county 
when Penn, shortly after his arrival, divided the settled parts of 
Pennsylvania into three divisions, in deference to the desire of 
the English settlers, the major part of whom had come from that 
locality in England, as stated in the extracts quoted; and the name 
of the shire town soon assumed that title, although its ancient name 
did not entirely disappear from familiar use until nearly three- 
quarters of a century had elapsed after William Penn's first visit 
to the Province. The Pearson story, for the first time, appeared / " 

in our Annals in Proud's History of Pennsylvania^ a work which (fXi^CMy /H4rV 
was not published until more than a century had elapsed after the 
incident is said to have occurred. 

On the 18th day of November, 1682, three weeks after his ar- 
rival, William Penn issued his writs to the SheriiTs of the three 



20 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

original counties of Pennsylvania, as well the three lower counties^ 
requiring them in their respective bailiwicks, '-'to summon all free- 
holders to meet on the '20th instant and elect out of themselves, 
seven persons of most note for wisdom, sobriety and integrity to 
serve as their deputies and representatives in General assembly, to- 
be held at Upland, in Pennsylvania, December 6 (4th?) next " In 
pursuance of this proclamation the Assembly met at Chester on 
the day designated, December 4, 1682, and organized by the elec- 
tion of Nicholas Moore, of Philadelphia county, President of the 
"Free Society of Traders," as Chairman of that body. The first two 
days of the session were consumed in hearing cases of contested 
election, the adoption of rules governing the meeting, passing the 
act of Union, which annexed "the three lower counties," (those 
comprising the present State of Delaware) and providing for the 
naturalization of the inhabitants thereof, as well as the Swedes, 
Finns and Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania. On the third day they 
received from William Penn the " Printed Laws, and the " Writ- 
ten Laws, or Constitutions." The "Printed Laws" were "the 
laws agreed upon in England," which had been prepared by learned 
counsel there, at Penn's desire, and printed in that country, and 
the " Written Laws, or Constitutions," were the ninety bills pre- 
sented to the Assembly by the Proprietary, out of which the meet- 
ing passed the sixty-one chapters of " the great body of the laws." 
A strange fact is that not one of those enactments, as adopted, is 
now in force in this Commonwealth. As soon as the statutes had 
been acted on. the members from the lower counties particularly, 
became anxious to return to their homes, and so intimated to the 
Assembly. The speaker considered this desire to adjourn as unbe- 
coming in the members, and bordering on an insult to the Governor. 
A committee of two of the deputies was appointed to wait upon 
Penn respecting it, and he consented " that the Assembly be ad- 
journed for twenty-one days, which was accordingly ordered by the 
Speaker." The body failed to meet again at the time designated 
by adjournment, and at the next regular Assembly in Philadelphia 
it is recorded that the Speaker " reproves several members for ne- 
glecting to convene at the time appointed when the House last ad- 
journed." 

A quarter of a century since an old structure stood on the west- 



Chester from the Arrival of Wm. Penn to the year 1850. 21 

em side of Edgmont avenue, north of Second street, which was 
commonly termed " The Old Assembly House," because of the 
popular belief that it was in this building that the first Assembly 
convened in Pennsylvania, December 4, 1682. Dr. G-eorge Smith, 
in his valuable History of Delaware County, conclusively establish- 
es the fact that this building was the first Meeting House of Friends 
in Chester, and was not erected until 1693, hence the first Assem- 
bly, which held its session more than ten years before that date, 
could not have met in that structure. We know that on the 6th 
day of the 1st month, 1687, Joran Kyn, or Keen, made a deed con- 
veying a lot in Chester, adjoining his " lot or garding," to certain 
persons in trust " to use and behoof of the said Chester — the peo- 
ple of God called Quakers, and their successors forever," and on 
this lot, now included in William P. Eyre's ground, on Edgmont 
avenue, the ancient Meeting House was built. 

Dr. Smith thereupon argues that the Assembly must have met in 
the Court House, or as it was then known " The House of Defence," 
which stood on the eastern side of Edgmont avenue, above Second 
street, and so projected into the roadway, that when Edgmont ave- 
nue was regularly laid out as a street, it had to be removed. The 
Doctor rightly thinks, « It was the only public building in Upland, 
at the time, of which we have any knowledge." Martin, in his 
History of Chester, accepts the Doctor's conclusions as unquestion- 
ably accurate. Nevertheless, both of these able historians are in 
error in this. The thought escaped them that perhaps Penn saw- 
that the " House of Defence" was too small for tlje purpose in- 
tended, and, therefore, a private dwelling was used for the meeting 
of the members. Mrs. Deborah Logan informs us in her notes to 
the "Penn and Logan Correspondence," that the Assembly con- 
vened in the large, or, as then termed, « The Double House," by- 
way of distinction, which James Sandilands, the elder, had erected 
for his own dwelling, which stood near the creek, and, subsequently, 
when the road to Philadelphia was laid out, near that highway. On 
an old plan of the Borough of Chester, made about 1765, now owned 
by William B. Broomall, Esq., of this city — a copy of which has. 
been engraved for this work — the lot on which "The Double 
House " stood, is designated as beginning about two hundred feet 
southerly from the intersection of the present Edgmont avenue and 



22 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Third street. The lot itsalf is about one hunilred and twenty feet 
front on the west side of Edgmont avenue. This House, which 
was spacious if not pretentious for those times — and would even 
now be regarded as an unusually large dwelling — had unfortunately 
been built with mortar made of oyster shell lime, which proved ut- 
terly valueless. In a few years the building showed signs of decay, 
then became a ruin, and as such continued until the beginning of 
the present century, when its foundations were removed. In time 
its very existence was generally forgotten, so much so that, as is 
mentioned, some of our most accurate and painstaking historians 
were unacquainted with the fact that it had ever performed the im- 
portant part it did in our early Colonial annals. 

Penn, shortly after his arrival at Chester, sent for James Sandi- 
lands, the elder, to confer with him to the end that the capitol of 
the Province should be located at this point, for it was " talkt 
among the people " of that day " that it was Intent to have built 
a City (at Upland,) but that he and Sanderlin could not agree." 
The conclusion of this interview was that Penn had to look else- 
where for a site for the future metropolis of Pennsylvania. This 
error of the chief owner of land at Chester was disastrous in its 
results, and was discovered when too late to avoid its consequences, 
although an attempt was made to correct it, in a measure, on No- 
vember 19, 1700, Avhen the petition of James Sandiland, the young- 
er, was presented to Governor William Penn — on his second visit 
to the Colonies — and his Council, in session at New Castle, setting 
forth that the Royal Patent to the Proprietary gave him " absolute 
power to * * * erect and incorporate Towns, Hundreds and 
Counties and to incorporate Towns in Boroughs, & Boroughs into 
Cities & to make & counstitute Fairs & Markets herein, with all 
other covenient privileges & Immunities according to the merits of 
the Inhabitants & fitness of ye places. * * * And whereas ye 
Petitioner is possessed of a certain spot of land lying in sd Countie 
of Chester, verie fitt & naturally commodious for a Town & to that 
end lately caused ye sd spot of Land to be divided & Laid out into 
Lotts, Streets & Market place, a Draft & Model whereof (the gene- 
rallie desired & Leiked of by ye sd Inhabitants of sd Countie) is not- 
withstanding herewith presented & submitted to your honors for 
your approbation and consent " The same day, it was ordered, after 



Chester from the Ai^nval of Wm. Penn to the year 1850. 23 

the heirs of James Sandilands, the elder, had appeared before 
Council, that " the Proprietary & Grovernor & Council having ap- 
proved of the within Petition & of the design thereof & Looking 
upon the place within propose:! to be fitt for a Town did not onlie 
approve of ye within & annexed model, but also did erect & do 
hereby erect the said spot of Lxnd so modelled & Laid outt Into a 
Town provided the same do not encroach upon other men's Land 
■without their express consent under thoir Hands and Seals, an.l 
saving to the Proprietor & Governor & everie one their right." It 
is now generally accepted as an historical fact that Philadelphia 
was not determined on as the site of Penn's city until he found 
that no arrangement could be made with Sandilands for lands for 
that purpose, at this place. 

The first street laid out by authority was ordered by the Grand 
Jury, 8th month 2, 1686, which body reports that they "doe lay 
out a street and a landing upon the creak to the corner lot far as 
over against the north west corner of the Court House fifty foote in 
breadth and from thence up the said Chester town for a street 30 
foote in breadthe." This highway was at first called Chester street, 
then Front street, that runs along the creek, and now Edgmont 
street, or avenue. In 1689, the Grand Jury continued the street 
from the present Second street to low water mark on the Delaware 
river, and from the north-western corner of the then Court House, 
to low water mark on the creek. This latter short street seems to 
have been closed at a later date, perhaps before the year 1690, for 
David Lloyd had the Governor and Council, about that time, to lay 
out a street thirty-eight feet wide, on the line of the present Sec- 
ond street, from Chester creek to the plantation he had purchased 
from Neeles Laerson's heirs in 1689. The plot of the town approved 
by Penn, November 19, 1700, as shown by many ancient deeds, is 
almost exactly the plan of the old parts of this city as now laid out 
on the official map. 

Penn remained but a short time at the Essex House as the guest 
of Robert Wade, and after his return to Chester from New York — 
whither he had gone to " pay his duty " to the Duke of York, by 
a visit to the latter's representatives in that place — he lodged for 
the winter at the Boar's Head Inn, a noted public house at that 



■24 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



time, a description of which appears under its appropriate title else- 
where in this volume. 

Martin informs us on the authority of Mrs. Sarah Shoemaker, 
aged 92 years, who died near Chester in 1825, and who had heard 
her grandfather, James Lownes, often speak of the times of which 
I am now writing, that during the winters of 1682-'83, Upland 
presented a very animated appearance. It was the only place then 
in the Province known to English ship-owners, and consequently, 
as the destination of the vessels was this port, most of the emigrants 
landed here and several ships often rode at anchor at the same 
time off the hamlet. It is stated that the water at that time was 
deep near the western shore, and vessels could approach so closely 
to land that the trees would often brush their upper rigging. 

The name of Chester, the seat of justice for the new county of 
Chester, (for the whole territory heretofore termed Upland, had been 
divided by Penn into the three counties— Chester, Philadelphia and 
Bucks — which division is said to have been ordered by the Proprie- 
tary, November 25, 1682,) now appears to have been used in all 
official documents and public records. Certain it is that at the 
Court, which convened here February 14, 1683, that name is em- 
ployed to designate the place where its session was held. Penn 
himself in several letters written from this town — for he did not re- 
move to Philadelphia until after March 10, 1683 — dated them 
sometimes Upland, but oftener Chester. Respecting the occur- 
rences of public interest during Penn's residence here, very little 
has been preserved, and the records are in a large degree devoted to 
matters pending before the Courts. It is stated that the Proprie- 
tary was present at Chester Creek Mills— now Upland — -when the 
first dam was built, which in all probability was before the spring 
freshets of 1683, at which time the dam was swept away. 

Gabriel Thomas, in his History of Pennsylvania, written in 1698, 
in describing the condition of the Province at that time, presents 
an exhaustive list of the wild game and fruit which abounded near 
the settlements, and speaks in glowing terms of the plentiful har- 
vest which rewarded the farmer for his toil. In 1683, fish were 
abundant, for it is recorded that the early fishermen could take six 
hundred fine fish at one draught. Richard Townsend states that, 
at Chester, in the year 1682, he and " Joshua Tittery made a net 



Chester from the. Arrival of Wm. Penn to the year 1850. 25 

and caught great quantities of fish, which supplied ourselves and 
many others ; so that, notwithstanding it was thought near 3,000 
persons came in the first year, we were so providentially provided 
for that we could buy a deer for about two shillings, and a large 
turkey for about one shilling," Quaint Gabriel Thomas, in striving 
to account for the fact that female wages were exorbitant at that 
period, remarks- " They (women) are not very numerous, which 
makes them stand upon high terms for their several services, in 
sempstermg, washing, spinning, knitting, sewing, and in all the 
other parts of their employments. ' * * Moreover, they are 
usuallj- marry'd before they are twenty years of age, and when once 
in thdt noose, are for the most part a little uneasy, and make their 
husbands so too, till they procure them a maid servant to bear the 
burden of the work, as also in some measure to wait on them too '" 

The dispute between Penn and Lord Baltimore, respecting the 
boundary line of their colonies, had assumed such a form in a short 
period that it compelled the return of the former to England. To 
represent him in his absence he appointed Thomas Lloyd Presi- 
dent ot Council, to whom he delegated the executive authority 
in the Province, established a Provincial Court and a commission 
to sell and transfer the title of his lands to purchasers, and on Au- 
gust 12, 1684, sailed for Europe. 

The history of Chester from this time until the return of William 
Penn, in 1700, is very meagre and what little is known between 
those years, will be noted under the ai'ticle entitled Court Houses 
and Prisons, elsewhere in this volume, for it is simply in the records 
of Court, that any incident of public interest is found. In 1688, 
the inhabitants of the Province were greatly alarmed by reason of 
a rumor diligently circulated, that an Indian woman from New 
Jersey had informed an old Dutch resident near Chester, that the 
Aborigines had determined, on a designated day, to attack and 
massacre all the white settlers on the Delaware. To add to the 
general consternation about ten o'clock at night of the evening 
fixed upon by the savages to begin the attack, a messenger came 
hurriedly into Chester with the report that three families residing 
about nine miles distant, had been murdered by the Indians. The 
people of the town gathered to consider the startling intelligence, 
and at midnight a Quaker, resident here, accompanied by two young 



26 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

men, went to the place mentioned, and found that the parties there^ 
alarmed by this rumor, had abandoned their dwellings and fled to 
the homes of their parents at Ridley creek. The report had beeu 
also carried to Philadelphia — had reached there while the Provin- 
cial Council was in session — and one of the members, from Chester 
county, volunteered to go to the Indian encampment on the Bran- 
dywine, provided five other persons would accompany him. They 
there learned that there was no truth in the rumor, and were well 
received by the Indians, who assured them that they had no cause 
of complaint against the English. 

From the evidence in a contested election case in 1689, we learn 
that the ballot-box was in use here at that early day, for Grriff Jones 
testified that " at Upland & all the Lower Countyes * * black 
and white beanes (were) put in a hatt, wch is a balloting in his 
sense & canot be denyed by the Charter when it is demanded." 

Chester at this time had considerable trade, and so great was the 
pressure upon it for entertaining travelers and strangers, that it is 
said almost every dwelling in the town was then a public house. 

In the fall of 1699, the yellow fever visited Philadelphia as a 
pestilence. Many of the inhabitants died of the disease, and the 
utmost alarm prevailed throughout the Province. Although we 
have no direct record that the malady made its appearance at Ches- 
ter, that such was the case may be inferentially concluded from the 
fact that the September Court adjourned without transacting any 
business, an incident without a parallel in our county's history. 
Later on, in November of that year, William Penn made his sec- 
ond visit to his Colony, although before leaving England he an- 
nounced that it was his intention to make it his permanent resi- 
dence. As the vessel sailed up the Delaware, the Proprietary 
caused it to be anchored off the town, and 'coming ashore he, for a 
second time, became an honored guest at the Essex House. Robert 
Wade, his friend, was dead, but Lydia, his widow, welcomed Penn, 
and here he met Thomas Story, who had recently returned from a 
religious journey to Virginia. The next morning, as is related by 
Clarkson, Penn was rowed across the creek in a boat to the eastern 
side, " and as he landed, some young men officiously, and contrary 
to express orders of some of the magistrates, fired two small sea 
pieces of cannon, and being ambitious to make three out of two, 



li'- 



Chester from the Arrival of Wm. Penn to the year 1850. 27 

by firing one twice, one of them darting in a cartridge of powder 
before the piece was sponged, had his left arm shot to pieces ; upon 
which, a surgeon being sent for, an amputation took place." The 
young man, Bevan, thus injured, died the following April, and the 
expenses attending the nursing and ultimate burial of the wounded 
lad, were discharged by Penn. This, I believe, is the incident in 
which the traditionary account, before mentioned, of the injury 
to one of the crew of the " Welcome," and the death of the sur- 
geon, had its origin, and that story is simply a fictitious outgrowth 
founded on the actual facts, just narrated. 

Penn was not destined to remain in his Colony. William III. is 
believed to have regarded him in no friendly spirit, and when the 
Proprietary learned that the ministry, with the intention of con- 
verting the Provincial government into a Regal one, had introdued 
a bill to that effect in Parliament, the urgency of affairs compelled 
his prompt return to England. He sailed from Philadelphia, No- 
vember 1, 1701, never to return to the Commonwealth he had 
founded. Before his departure he established a Council of State, 
and appointed Andrew Hamilton as Deputy Governor. He had 
also, October 13, 1701, granted a charter to Chester as a Borough, 
with the privilege of a market town, and declares, in defining the 
limits of the municipality, that it " shall ever hereafter be called 
Chester." 

Hon. Joseph J. Lewis, in his sketches of Chester county, states 
that an old woman at this place, many years after the events, re- 
lated that Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury, Governor of the Colony 
of New York from 1702 to 1708, visited Chester during the fall of 
the year first given, and that she remembers him because he was 
the Queen's cousin, and a Lord, and that he wore leather stockings. 
A more abandoned, infamous scoundrel than this same cousin of 
two Queen Regents of England, never cursed a people by his mis- 
rule. I merely allude to this visit of the Royal Governor, to de- 
monstrate that while our city in its earlier days has entertained dis- 
tinguished and noble men, its hospitality has also been extended to 
a rogue, in whom the gallows was cheated of its just due. 

Very little of interest attaches to the annals of this city for many 
years after this event. The Borough grew slowly, for in 1708 Old 
Mixon refers to it as containing " one hundred houses." Bamp- 



28 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

fylde Moore (larew, in 1739, states that Chester " contains about a 
hundred houses, and a very good road for shipping." In 1754, 
Acrelius said " it had 120 houses," a statement which fully estab- 
lishes the accuracy of Lewis Evan's assertion, in a letter written 
in 1 753, quoted by Martin, that " Chester, Bristol and Newtown 
have been long at a stand." Peter Kalm, the Swedish naturalist, 
in the fall of 1748, journeying from Wilmington to Philadelphia, 
mentions in his journal, " Chester, a little market town which lies 
on the Delaware. Tho houses stand dispersed. Most of them are 
built of stone, and two or three stories high, some are, however, 
made of wood." 

In 1713, the inhabitants of Chester county petitioned Grovernor 
Goodkin and Council " that ye Borough of the Town of Chester, in 
this Province may be made a free Port." The petition was referred 
to William Penn, who took no action in the matter ; the partial 
paralysis from Avhich he suffered for several years before his death, 
had benumbed his faculties in a measure and sapped the energies 
that were once so elastic under adversities. His health gradually 
declined until July 30, 1718, at which date he died. 

At an early time in the Proprietary administration, a public 
pound was located on the lands of Robert Wade, and he was au- 
thorized to act as master. After his death it must have fallen into 
disuse. In 1722, an application was made to Court " for a Pound 
in said Chester ; whereupon the Court orders, that there be a 
Pound erected in the Market Place * * * 40 feet square well 
fenced with posts and railings, and a good rack in the middle of sd 
pound, and that Richd Marsden be keeper of the pound." In lat- 
ter years, as will be seen from an inspection of the old map of the 
Borough, in 1 765 the pound was located on the triangular lot made 
by the intersection of Market street and Edgmont avenue. 

On the afternoon of August 11, 1732, Thomas Penn, the son of 
the Proprietary, landed at Chester, and a messenger was dispatched 
to Philadelphia to apprise the Council, then in session, of his arri- 
val. The Secretary of that body immediately came to Chester, 
with the congratulations of the authorities, and " to acquaint him — 
Penn — that to-morrow they would in person pay their respects to 
him." The following day the Council, accompanied by a large 
number of gentlemen, visited the Borough, and " after dinner the 



Chester fy-om- the Arrival of Wm. Penn to the year 1850. 29 

Proprietary with his company, now grown very numerous, sett out 
for Philadelphia." 

On September 19, of the following year, John Penn arrived at 
Chester, from England, and was here met and Avelcomed by his 
younger brother, Thomas, and a large number of gentlemen who 
had come from Philadelphia to greet the eldest son of the Founder. 
In 1739, the noted clergyman, George Whitfield, preached in 
Chester, and so great was his fame and the excitement throughout 
the Colony, occasioned by his eloquence, that about seven thousand 
persons gathered here to listen to his sermon. It is said that a 
cavalcade of one hundred and fifty horsemen accompanied the no- 
ted divine hither. It was during this year that Bampfylde Moore 
Carew, heretofore mentioned, passed through Chester, and he re- 
lates how the people for many miles round flocked to the places 
where Whitfield was to preach. Carew came here on Sunday, 
" stayed all night, and the next morning he inquired of one Mrs. 
Turner, a Quakeress, who formerly lived at Embercomb, by Mine- 
head, in Somersetshire. From her he got a bill (money) and a re- 
commendation to some Quakers at Darby, about five miles further." 
At the time mentioned, this Mrs. Turner lived at the north-east 
corner of Third street and Concord avenue, iii part of the house 
now owned by Mrs. Shaw. 

In 1739, when England declared w^ar against Spain, an expedi- 
tion was proposed from the Colonies against the West Indies, and 
the Governor, in a proclamation calling for recruits, " to inlist in 
the Important Expedition now on Foot for attacking and plunder- 
ing the most valuable Part of the Spanish West Indies," notified the 
people of Chester and vicinity that those, who proposed to recruit, 
should call on James Mather in the Borough. 

The revolutionary period was rapidly approaching, and the peo- 
ple throughout the thirteen Colonies were aroused by the spirit of 
oppression which seemed to animate the English ministry in its 
dealings with the American Provinces, The First Continental Con- 
gress in Philadelphia, had, among other means to protect the liber- 
ties of the Colonies, resolved that committees should be chosen in 
every county, city and town, to observe the conduct of all people 
respecting the suspension of trade with the mother country, and it 
was responded to by Chester county, December 20, 1774, in the old 



BO Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Court House in this city, when a committee was appointed consist- 
ing of sixty-nine of the most prominent men of the day, many of 
whom afterwards attained reputation in the State by their conduct 
during the struggle with Great Britain ; and one, the chairman, 
Anthony Wayne, achieved world-wide fame. The committee had 
frequent meetings thereafter at the public house of David Coup- 
land, still standing at the south-west corner of Fourth and Market 
streets. (An account of the building will be found elsewhere in 
this volume.) 

In December, 1776, it was proposed to institute hospitals for the 
sick soldiers of the American army, at Darby, Chester, Marcus 
Hook, Wilmington and New Castle Tradition states that the old 
school house, torn down in 1874, and the house now owned and oc- 
cupied by Jonathan Pennell, on Edgmont avenue, were used for 
that purpose, and subsequently, as barracks for soldiers. During 
the year 1776 and part of '77, the signal and alarm Post, No. 8, 
was located at this place 

The war cloud, however, did not actually drift in this direction 
until 1777, although during the preceding year, when the destina- 
tion of the English army which had evacuated Boston, was unknown, 
so large a body of soldiers was stationed at Chester and Marcus 
Hook that in both towns there were not sufficient houses to supply 
the troops with shelter, and hence, April 13th, 1776, the Commit- 
tee of Safety furnished " 100 good tents," for that purpose. In 
May of the same year the force in cantonment at this place num- 
bered nearly a thousand men, and one thousand pounds of gunpow- 
der, two thousand pounds of lead and twenty thousand musket car- 
tridges were ordered to be delivered to Col. Samuel Miles, com- 
manding the Associators of Chester county, while on the following 
day, the commissary was ordered by the Committee of Safety to 
" send down to Chester, for the use of the Provincial Troops under 
Col. Miles, sixty-five locks." On July 2, 1776, after it became 
evident that New York and not Philadelphia was the point menaced 
by the British Fleet and Army, Col. Miles was ordered to march 
his battalions to the latter city, and this town again was removed 
from the hourly dread of battle in its neighborhood. 

In July, 1777, Chester again became the rendezvous of the raw 
levies from the county. While General Howe was at sea, and his 



Chester from the Arrival of Wm. Penn to the year 1850. 31 

destination unknown, the alarm was intense among the people of 
the seaboard cities, and in this neighborhood it was not lessened 
when they comprehended that the English Commander, with a well 
disciplined and equipped army of eighteen thousand men had land- 
ed at the head of Elk river, and that Philadelphia was his objective 
point. In accordance with the request of Congress in the preced- 
ing April, a call had been made by Pennsylvania for 3,000 militia, 
and half of that number was encamped in Chester, which force 
General Armstrong had been assigned to command. On August 1, 
1777, Washington passed through this place, southward, to check, 
if possible, the enemy's advance. September 11, 1777, that of the 
battle of Brandywine, was one of if not the most intensely anxious 
days Chester has ever known. The noise of the distant cannonading 
could be distinctly heard, like far away mutterings of thunder, and 
after the battle had been lost, the bearers of ill tidings traveled 
fast with their unwelcoraed intelligence. Early in the afternoon, 
the first of the discomfited American forces began to straggle in, 
spreading all sorts of rumors regarding the results of the contest. 
When Lafayette, wounded in the foot, was brought hither, before 
he would permit his injuries to be dressed, he stationed a guard at 
Chester bridge to arrest the disorganized men and return them to 
their commands. Far into the night the retreating army kept 
marching into the town, and it is related that Col. Custer, of the 
Thircl Virginia Infantry, because of the darkness and to prevent 
his men being crowded off the approaches to the bridge, at the 
creek, fastened his handkerchief to a ramrod, and stood there holding 
it aloft as a signal, until his command had filed by. At midnight, 
Washington addressed a letter to Congress, apprising that body of 
the loss of the battle. The missive is dated Chester, and tradition- 
ally in the Kerlin family, it is said, he wrote the letter at the Wash- 
ington House, on Market street. The disordered American army 
assembled back of the town, and the next day retreated to Philadel- 
phia. On September 15, Lord Cornwallis occupied Chester, and 
while here the residents of the Borough suffered severely from the 
depredations of the English soldiers. From thirty-one persons, 
nearly fifteen thousand dollars' worth of property was taken. Af- 
ter Philadelphia had been captured, Greneral Howe landed a body 
of troops from New York here November 18. Lord CornwalliSy 



32 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

with three thousand men, uniting with those already at this point, 
embarked on transports, and crossed the river to Biliingsport. 
General Green, learning that his adversary outnumbered him, re- 
treated, abandoning the fort. In 1777, while the enemy had con- 
trol of Chester, it must have presented an animated appearance, 
for Major Clark, in a letter dated from Mrs. Withey's Tavern, No- 
vember 19, 1777, states that '■'■ eighty sail lie opposite this place, 
and eighty opposite Bridgeport " Joseph Bishop, an octogenarian, 
who died many years since, stated that when a boy, he stood on the 
porch of the old Salkeld house, now the Perkins' mansion, in South 
ward, and watched the fleet practicing, and on several occasions, 
when receiving distinguished personages, the yard arms were man- 
ned and the vessels gaily dressed with many flags and streamers. 
It may have been that on one of these occasions, by mistake, a few 
shots were fired into the town, one of which struck the Steamboat 
Hotel, another the Graham House, and a third the Richardson 
House, north-east corner of Market and Second streets, although 
it is stated to have been an intentional act on the part of the Com- 
mander of the frigate " Augusta." During the winter of 1777, 
the " Vulture," the vessel noted in our national annals as having 
carried Major Andre, when he ascended the Hudson to meet Arnold, 
laid off Chester, and on her several prominent Whigs, of this 
neighborhood, were imprisoned. 

On April 8, 1782, the remarkable action between the Pennsylva- 
nia vessel of war, " Hyder Ali," commanded by Capt. Joshua Bar- 
ney, and the British ship, " General Monk," took place in Delaware 
Bay. Notwithstanding the latter outnumbered the former both in 
men and armament, she was compelled to strike her flag to the 
Continental vessel. The American commander brought his ship 
and prize to Chester, where he left the " Hyder Ali," and in the 
« General Monk " sailed to Philadelphia. Capt. Jackson, the Eng- 
lish commander, who was seriously wounded, was brought to Ches- 
ter and placed in the family of a Quaker lady who nursed him un- 
til he entirely recovered from his wounds. 

At the close of the war, Chester, as all other localities, suffered 
greatly in the depreciation of the Continental currency, and many 
estates which had been in the families of their owners for half a 



Chester from the Arrival of Wm. Penn to the year 1850. 3S 

century were sold by the Sheriff, while business in the disturbed 
condition of affairs, was uncertain and precarious. 

The history of the removal of the seat of justice from Chester, 
is related in the article, Court Houses and Prisons, elsewhere in 
this volume, hence it requires no further notice here. 

In 1699, the yellow fever first appeared in Chester, and again in 
1793, when the contagion was brought here by some boys who went 
in a boat to a vessel lying in the stream, on which there were seve- 
ral persons ill with the disease. In 1798, it again visited the Bo- 
rough. On that occasion, it is said, a woman who fled from Phila- 
delphia to escape the scourge there, died in this place, and as she 
had requested, previovis to her death, that her body should be taken 
to the latter city for interment, the corpse, while being conveyed 
through the streets of this town, thus spread the seeds of disease. 
On Edgmont avenue, from Fourth street to the river, more than' 
thirty persons died, and in the house adjoining Jonathan Pennell's 
residence, on Edgmont avenue, all the family, excepting a boy of 
five years, died from the malady. 

In 1789, the new county of Delaware was erected, and with that 
exception, very little of public interest occurred in our annals until 
the year 1794, when the Whisky Insurrection broke out in Western 
Pennsylvania, at which time William Graham, in command of a 
company of cavalry from this neighborhood, responded to the call 
of President Washington In 1789, the latter passed through Ches- 
ter, in a coach-and-four with outriders, and received a congratula- 
tory address from the citizens of the town. 

The annals of our city are very meagre for the following half 
century, and for many years no new buildings were erected, while 
the poi)ulation seemed to remain without any material increase. In 
October, 1814, an encampment of several thousand militia was es- 
tablished at Marcus Hook, and on the 14th of that month the com- 
pany of Capt. Morgan marched to Chester, where it remained for 
nearly two weeks awaiting the forwarding of camp equipage by the 
State authorities. The war, however, was nearly at its close, and 
these troops never took part in any engagement. In the same year 
the Bank of Delaware County was chartered. 

During the year 1836, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Balti- 



34 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

more railroad was surveyed, and in 1838 was opened for public 
travel. 

On Aug. 5, 1843, occurred the " Lammas Flood," which wrought 
immense damage in Delaware county and in Chester Borough. The 
day had been rainy, but about half past five o'clock in the after- 
noon the water fell in torrents for the space of a half hour. The 
earth, water-soaked, turned off the rain into the feeders of the 
creeks, and the latter rose with unexampled rapidity. It is stated 
that a wave, several feet in height, moved down Chester creek 
like a wall, sweeping everything before it. The water rose here a 
foot a minute until it had reached a point twenty-three feet higher 
than the ordinary high water mark, and horses, wagons, animals 
and trees were hurled into the Delaware river. The railroad and 
the county bridge at Third street were both swept away. The loss 
of property along the stream in the Borough amounted to many 
thousands of dollars. 

In the fall of 1845, the agitation of the removal of the county 
seat from Chester to a more central location began, and the contest 
ended in favor of the removalists, by a decided popular vote at the 
election held in October, 1847, and in May, 1851, the Courts 
of Delaware county were for the last time held in the ancient 
Borough. 



CHESTER FROM THE YEAR 1850 TO 1882. 



THE majority of the inhabitants of the venerable Borough be- 
lieved that the removal of the county seat to Media would be a 
fatal blow to the prosperity of the town, and that it would rapidly 
sink in population and as a business point. Few persons compre- 
hended that the hour for its advancement had come. The purchase 
by John P Crozer of the old Chester mill site to the north-west of 
the Borough, the erection at that place of a cotton mill, and the lo- 
cation of James Campbell at Leiperville, to the northeast, where he 
built up a large business in manufacturing cotton goods, had di- 
rected the attention of a few thoughtful men to the possibilities and 
advantages of Chester as a manufacturing centre. To properly ap- 
preciate the position of the then Borough, in narrating the awaken- 
ing of the oldest town in Pennsylvania from the lethargy of a cen- 
tury and a half, it will be necessary to present a short sketch of 
the men who were to bring about this great change in our local 
history, as well as to introduce a brief description of Chester as it 
appeared thirty-two years ago. 

John Price Crozer was a Delaware countian by birth. His early 
life was passed on a farm, until he was twenty-seven years old, 
when he formed a partnership with George Gr. Leiper, and em- 
barked in business at the grist and saw mill on Ridley creek. Be- 
coming dissatisfied with that occupation, Mr. Crozer and John 
Lewis rented part of the grist mill from Judge Leiper, and em- 
barked in cotton spinning. The new enterprise trembled often on 
the brink of disaster, but, ultimately, it began to return a profit, 
and when assured that he might venture to enlarge his business, he 



36 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

purchased Mattson's paper mill and farm, on the west branch of 
Chester creek. From that hour his career was one of continued 
success, for so lucrative had his occupation become that, although in 
the freshet of 1843 his new factory, at Knowlton, was swept away, 
involving a loss of $50,000, yet within two years thereafter he pur- 
chased from John W, Ashmead the noted Chester Mills, together 
with some sixty odd acres of land, on which he began extensive im- 
provements. His subsequent career, how he attained great wealth, 
how he distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to public 
charities, educational and religious institutions, is well known to 
most of our citizens and need not be recapitulated here. 

James Campbell, of Stockport, England, came to this country a 
young man and sought employment in the factory of Mr. Phillips, 
at Rockdale. He subsequently was manager of the mills owned by 
James Howton, at Pennsgrove, now Grlen Riddle, until 1837, when 
the latter removed to Groveville, New Jersey, and the former de- 
clined to go to that point, although the position he held was ten- 
dered him at the new location. Thereupon Campbell started in 
business as a manufacturer in the machine shop of John Garsed, at 
Pennsgrove, with only six looms — which had been made by his fa- 
ther-in-law, Mr. Garsed, for a party who became embarrassed and 
could not take them. From this small beginning his business in- 
creased until the opportunity was presented him to obtain the bark 
mill at Leiperville, to which building Hon. George G. Leiper erect- 
ed an additional story, to afford space for the machinery required 
in a cotton factory. At this locality Campbell was very success- 
ful and had accumulated considerable capital, when he removed to 
Chester, with the avowed object of developing the Borough into a 
manufacturing town. 

John Larkin, Jr., was born in Concord township, Delaware county, 
in 1804, where he worked at farming until he was twenty-three years 
of age, when he built a vessel and followed the water for seven 
years, during which time he sailed his own craft and worked hard 
at his calling. In 1840 he was elected Sheriff of Delaware county; 
in 1845-'46 he represented the district in the Legislature, and after 
the city of Chester was incorporated, he was elected its first Mayor 
in 1866 and again in 1869, and during the term of six years in 
which he held the office he refused to accept any salary for his ser- 



Vhester from the year 1850 to 1882. "37 

vices. He was one of the originators of the Chester Rural Ceme- 
tery, and the President of that Company since the death of Joshua 
P. Eyre. He is also President of the Chester Mutual rnsurince 
Company, and of the First National Bank of this city, 

John M. Broomall is anative of this county, and in his busy life has 
been teacher, lawyer, Legislator, Representative in Congress, Presi- 
dent Judge of the county, and a member of the Constitutional Con- 
vention of 1874. Mr. Broomall is a man of vast attainments in 
history, science, law and literature, in fact, no intellectual pur- 
suit in which he has engaged but evidences his mental powers and 
remarkable erudition. 

In 1840, the population of the Borough was seven hundred and 
forty persons of all ages and sexes. The town occupied, in a scat- 
tered manner, the space extending from the Philadelphia, Wil- 
mington and Baltimore railroad to the river, and fx'om Welsh street 
to Chester creek. But a small part was built upon, and in the 
area given, most of the houses— many of them dilapidated — had 
been erected in the preceding century, and the place showed all 
the features of a finished town. The residence of Dr. William 
Gray, then but recently built, was an exception, as also that of Ma- 
jor William Anderson, and the mansion of Hon. Samuel Edwards, 
at the north end of Market street, and that of Joshua P., and Wil- 
liam Eyre, at the west end of Fifth street, which were large, mod- 
ern and comfortable dwellings. A strange coincidence, however, 
was that each of the two latter houses stood directly in the way of 
an extension of the streets mentioned, showing that at the time 
they were built the popular belief was that Chester would never 
grow sufficiently to require the use of these thoroughfares, and, in 
fact, no streets at those points were ever laid down on any map, 
previous to the year 1860. Many of the inhabitants owned the 
houses they occupied, and there was singularly little desire either 
to buy or sell land. It was remarked that a property held for sale 
would not bring a fifth of its value, while a person wishing to buy 
would have to give ten prices for what he wanted, so loath were the 
owners to part with their real estate. The change which has since 
that time so developed the little fishing village, for Chester was 
scarcely more than that, first began to show itself about 1842. A 
few properties then changed owners at fair prices. What such 



38 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

prices were may be gathered from the fact that about 1844 the 
hotel now owned by Henry Abbott, with the ground extending from 
Fifth street to Dr. Monroe's office, and from Market street to the 
rear of the stables, was offered for $2700, and only an accident 
prevented the sale. The great difficulty in the way of Chester was, 
that it was surrounded by large farms held by persons in easy cir- 
cumstances, who would not sell a foot of ground at any price, and 
who looked upon those who proposed to build a city here as visionary 
men, who would run themselves in debt and ultimately fail. Time, 
however, brought these farms into the market. Death and debt 
have no respect for conservatism, and by degrees these agencies 
worked in behalf of the change that was dawning. The first of 
these tracts of land that came into the hands of the progressive 
spirits who were guiding the new order of things, was that of Wil- 
liam Kerlin, a fifty-acre plot, lying between the Post road and the 
river, on the west bank of Chester creek. 

On this tract the famous Essex House stood, and a few of the 
trees which grew on the river bank when Penn landed, were still 
standing, although much decayed, marking the spot where his feet 
first trod on the land of the great Commonwealth he founded. The 
Essex House stood on the site of the present brick dwelling at the 
north-west corner of Front and Penn streets. It was a story and 
a half in height, its south-east gable fronting the river, the rear or 
south-west side facing (Concord avenue, and its front, with a com- 
modious porch, was to the creek. About one hundred and ten feet 
in a north-easterly direction from the porch, stood the trees under 
which Penn landed. This estate, then containing five hundred and 
sixty acres, had been granted by Richard Nichols, Governor Greneral 
under the Duke of York, by patent, dated June 1, 1668, to " Justina 
Armguard alias vpo Papegay of Prinse Doope " daughter of Gover- 
nor Printz, in fee, and she, March 21, 1673, for eighty pounds ster- 
ling, srtld the estate to Robert Wade, who built the house where Penn 
was entertained in 1682. The Proprietary, by letters patent, June 
5, 1684, confirmed this tract of land to Wade. On January 9, 
1689, Wade made his will, in which he devised three hundred and 
sixty acres of the estate to Robert Wade and Lydia Wade, the 
children of his brother Thomas. His nephew, Robert, dying un- 
married and without issue, his interest vested in his sister Lydia, 



Chester from the year 1850/0 1882. 39 

who had married Philip Eilhirz. The latter and his wife, June 1, 
1702, conveyed the estate to John Wade, in fee, and he, with his 
wife Frances, August 24 and 25, 1733, transferred it to Joseph 
Parker, in fee, and the latter, July 5, 1736, leased the tract of fifty 
acres, afterwards the estate of William Kerlin, to John Wade, for 
the term of nine hundred and ninety-nine years, at a yearly rent of 
twelve pounds sterling, two barrels of cider and ten bushels of 
apples. Wade conveyed the lease to James Mather, who died Jan- 
uary 11, 1780, and his estate proving insolvent, his interest in the 
leasehold was sold by Ezekiel Leonard, Sheriff, 5th mo., 27, 1789, 
to Eleazer Oswald, who in turn, the same day conveyed it to Wil- 
liam Kerlin, who by his will dated November 28, 1804, devised the 
leasehold to his son William It was he who owned the estate in 
1850. 

John M. Broomall, then residing in Upper Chichester, supposed 
that he had bought the farm in 1846, at one hundred and fifty dol- 
lars an acre, but the agent, Charles D. Manley, though authorized to 
sell at that price, was, to his great mortification, unable to get his 
principal to execute the deed, and the sale fell through. In the 
early part of 1849, Mr. Broomall, who had in the meanwhile re- 
moved to Chester, purchased the farm again of Mr, Kerlin himself 
after considerable negotiation, at two hundred dollars an acre. A 
time was fixed for executing the contract of sale, but before the 
day came, Mr. Kerlin again changed his mind. In December, fol- 
lowing, John Edward Clyde, who was quite anxious that a sale 
should be effected, meeting Mr. Kerlin on the street, agreed to 
purchase the farm, and insisted that the former should go at once 
to the office of Mr. Broomall. The latter declined to enter into a 
negotiation except upon the condition that the deed should be forth- 
with executed and the sale consummated, if d price could be agreed 
upon. The condition was accepted, Hon. Edward Darlington was 
sent for as counsel for Mr. Kerlin, and in half an hour the deed 
was executed, the price paid being two hundred and fifty dollars an 
acre. During the negotiations in the early part of 1849, Mr. 
Broomall had offered to John P. Crozer and John Larkin, Jr., each an 
equal interest with himself in the farm he then believed he had 
purchased from Mr. Kerlin. Both of these gentlemen were natives 
of the county of Delaware, whose attention had been attracted to 



40 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Chester as the site of a future city if it could only get room to- 
grow, and tbey basd been looking at the Kerlin farm as a possible 
outlet. Before the actual purchase took place, Mr. Larkin had the 
opportunity of buying a large part of the farm belonging to John 
Cochran, to the north of the town, now forming a considerable 
portion of the North ward. He therefore declined to accept Mr. 
Broomall's proposal, and the Kerlin farm was acquired by Mr. Cro- 
zer and Mr. Broomall in equal shares, the latter taking upon him- 
self the management of it, with the advice and pecuniary aid of 
the former. 

On January 5, 1850, John Larkin, Jr., purchased eighth-three 
acrea of land, which had formerly been a race-course, from John 
Cochran. This tract had been included in the estate of David 
Lloyd, and the greater part of it was embraced in the purchase, 
May 1, 1741, made by Joseph Hoskins from Grace Lloyd, and 
which he devised to his nephew, John Hoskins, of Bvirlington, New 
Jersey. The latter sold the property to his son, Raper Hoskins, 
March 22, 1791, and he dying, seized of the property, his widow, 
Eleanor, administered to the estate, and sold it, April 27, 1799, to 
Thomas Laycock. The latter dying, and his heirs making default 
in payment, the property was sold by John Odenheimer, Sheriff, 
October 26, 1806, to Anthony Morris, who in turn sold it to Major 
William Anderson, and the latter conveyed it to John CochraUy- 
May 26, 1823, who, dying intestate, the estate was conveyed by the 
heirs to John Cochran, the younger, who sold it to John Larkin, 
Jr., at the time already stated. The entire tract was in one en- 
closure, the only improvement so far as buildings were concerned, 
was the small stone house, still standing, with its gable end to Edg- 
mont avenue, below Twelfth street, and a frame stable. The land, 
after it ceased to be a race-course, had been used as a grazing lot 
for cattle. 

Both tracts were laid out in streets and squares, and almost im- 
mediately signs of improvement began to manifest themselves in 
the present North and South wards. Many of the old residents 
looked on in amazement, and often the quiet remark went round, 
" These men will lose every dollar they have in this ^iDusiness." 
The enterprising men, however, paid little attention to these prog- 
nostications of misfortune. Dwelling houses were erected, streets 



Chester from the year 1850 to 1882. 41 

laid out and graded, and capital was invited to locate in this vi- 
cinity. Early in the year IS-'iO, James Campbell, of Ridley, pur- 
chased the lot and bowling alley formerly belonging to the Dela- 
ware County Hotel, which lot was located on the north side of 
Fourth street where part of the Market House now stands This 
building he altered to receive looms, and in March, 1850, within 
three months of the purchase of the Kerlin and Cochran farms, for 
the first time the nois?; of the shuttle was heard in the Borough. 
When the public buildings were sold, Mr. Campbell bought the 
prison and workhouse, and at much expense he changed the ancient 
structure into a cotton mill, thus making the first permanent es- 
tablishment in which textile fabrics were woven within the bounds 
of the present city of Chester. 

In 1856, John P. Crozer conveyed his interest in the joint pro- 
perty to Mr. Broomall for the cost and legal interest thereon reserv- 
ing only the half-square of gronnd on Penn anl Second streets, 
where the Baptist church now stands. This was Mr Crozer's own 
proposition, and on being reminded that more than enough land had 
been sold to pay the entire costs, leaving four-fifths of it as clear 
profit, he replied that he had gonejnto the enterprise not to make 
money but to aid in the development of Chester, and he was quite 
content that the profits should go to Mr. Broomall who had done 
the chief part of the work ; that his assistance was no longer neces- 
sary, but that he would let liis capital remain to be repaid by Mr. 
Broomall, with interest, at his own time and convenience. Of 
course this offer was gratefully accepted. Shortly after, when Mr. 
Broomall learned that the fee simple title to the Kerlin tract could 
be purchased for nine hundred and twenty dollars, from the execu- 
tors of the estate of Dr. Albanus C. Logan, the great-grandson of 
Joseph Parker, he availed himself of the offer, and on August 24, 
1858, bought the rent and reversions in the leasehold he had ac- 
quired from William Kerlin nearly ten years before that date. 

In the present North ward, Mr. Larkin, in spite of great opposi- 
tion, carried out his designs fully. It is related that although he 
laid out the streets in that part of the town and dedicated them to 
the public, the Borough authorities refused to keep the highways 
in repair, and at his own expense he maintained a force of men 
at work upon them. On one occasion when a member of the Town 



42 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Council complained that the streets in the old part of the Borough 
were neglected, contrasting them with those of Larkintown, which 
were neat and well kept, and declaring that the public moneys 
shoxild not all be expended in one locality, another member in- 
formed the speaker that Chester had never contributed a dollar for 
that purpose, and that Mr, Larkin had personally paid for all the 
highwaj-s made as well as maintaining them in repair, ^lot only 
did he do this, but he constantly built houses, stores, foundries, 
shops and mills, in conformity with a rule he had adopted at the 
beginning of his enterprise, that every dollar he received from the 
sale of lands or buildings should be expended in further improve- 
ments ; and hence, for any person desiring to start in business, he 
would erect the required structure, and lease it to him or them, 
with the privilege of purchasing the property at its cost price with- 
in ten years. Mr. Larkin has built over five hundred houses and 
places of business, several being large cotton mills. In 1881, he 
sold the last vacant building lot remaining out of the original 
eighty-three acres he had bought as an unimproved tract, thirty-one 
years before. More than thirty years Mr. Larkin spent industriously 
and earnestly in making the North ward what it is, and only during 
the last ten years did he receive much assistance, from the labor of 
others to the same end, in dotting it all over with dwellings and in- 
dustrial establishments. 

To I'eturn to the river front ; Mr. Broomall, in conjunction with 
William Ward, in 1862, purchased the farms of Edward Pennell, 
James Laws and John Jeffery, and in 1863, together with Mr. 
Ward and Messrs. Seyfert & McManus, of Reading, he purchased 
the farms of George Wilson, John J. Thurlow and William John- 
son, and in 1871, as a member of the Chester Improvement Com- 
pany, he bought the farms of William H. Morton and Isaac Eyre. 
He laid out and named the streets between the old Post road and 
the river, and between Chester creek and Trainer's Third street 
mills, and only two of the forty-one names have since been changed, 
Essex street and Salkeld street, the citizens refusing to take, but 
by a common movement, the former became Concord street, and 
the latter Broomall street. 

The first manufacturing establishment in Chester was the ma- 
chine shop and foundry of Kitts & Kerlin, and there, in 1837, was 



Chester from the year 1850 to 1882. 4S 

erected the first stationary steam engine, " and its advent," says 
Mr. Broomall, in a sketch of Chester, in 1872, "produced more 
sensation among the simple villagers than did the downfall of the 
French Monarchy." The next engine introduced was one built 
by this firm about 1840, and used by the late Judge Frederick J. 
Hinkson in the old Brobson tannery, on Edgmont avenue. The 
first manufactory of textile goods was that of James Campbell, in 
the old bowling alley before mentioned, in 1850, shortly after en- 
larged by his purchase of the county property, a description of 
which will be found under the title Court Houses and Prisons, in 
Chester. The first business establishment below Chester creek 
was the saw mill and lumber yard of Thomas M. Smith, who about 
1851, purchased the square of ground between Penn and Concord 
streets, on the south side of Front street, for $900. Then followed 
the sash factory of Lewis Thatcher ; a small mill built by the late 
Alderman Joseph Entwisle, for bleaching cotton ; the dye works of 
John Grartside and Samuel Cliff, and Benjamin Grartside's mill, all 
in the South ward. In 1854, Dr Bonsai and Abraham Blakeley 
built what is now the Arasapha mills in North ward, and Samuel 
Montgomery erected the first mill put up by him, known afterwards 
as Lilley & Montgomery's, in South ward. John Larkin, Jr., built 
the Broad street mill for James Campbell, and Mr. Broomall erected 
for T. B Price the machine shop at Third and Franklin streets. 
South ward, which Samuel Eccles, Jr., chdnged into the Mohawk 
mills, now operated by Robert Hall & Son. The ship yards of 
Thomas Reaney and William Frick, since of John Roach & Sons, 
and other industrial establishments followed in rapid succession in 
all parts of the city until Chester has now upwards of thirty-five 
cotton and woolen mills, logwood works, the extensive machine shops 
of Robert Wetherill & Co. ; the Combination Iron and Steel Works : 
the Eureka Cast Steel Company; H. B. Black's Edge Tool Works ; 
H. C. Eyre & Co., and James Massey's machine shops ; Morton, 
Black & Bro.'s planing mill; the sash factories of Miller Cox, 
Stroud & Co., and Henry M. Hinkson ; several carriage factories and 
many other industries which have given to this city a national repu- 
tation as a manufacturing centre. The entire river front in South 
ward is now occupied with flourishing business establishments ex- 
tending along and beyond the city limits for more than three miles. 



44 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

The or iduates of the Pennsylvania Military Academy have spread 
the reputation of Chester, as an educational point, in every State 
in the Union ; Crozer Theological Seminary stands second to no 
similar institution in the land in preparing young men for the min- 
istry, and Prof. Gilbert's Academy is noted for thoroughness in 
intellectual training. 

Few eastern toAvns have exhibited the enterprise and vitality 
which have characterized Chester since the energetic men I have 
mentioned aroused it from its inertness thirty odd years ago, and 
began to invade the slumbers of the venerable hamlet. 

In 1852, F. & A. Wiggin, of New York, purchased the remain- 
der of the Cochran estate in North ward, and laid it out in streets 
and offered the property for sale in lots. In 1862, Crosby P. Mor- 
ton — from whom Morton avenue takes its name — laid out the large 
tract of ground south of the old Queen's Eoad, in Middle ward, in 
streets and squares. He erected the Chester Dock Mills, (now 
Lewis & Roop's) cut a dock and built the saw and planing mill at 
that point, since known as Morton, Black & Brother's, and erected 
fifteen dwelling houses. His death was a public misfortune, inas- 
much as he proposed to make greater improvements had his health 
not entirely broken down. In 1864, Spencer Mcllvain laid out 
twenty-six acres of the old Caldwell farm in North ward, in streets, 
and in 1865, John Hinkson and Henry Mcllvain made extensive 
improvements on this tract of ground. They built the Continental 
cotton mills for John Glreen, the Abgadon mills for Barton k Cot- 
ton, the Sunnyside mills for James Ledward, and about thirty dwel- 
ling houses. This enterprise was followed by John Cochran and 
John Barton, who purchased part of the Eyre farm in South ward, 
and brought it into market. Mr. Cochran built many houses, as 
did also Lewis Ladomus and others in various parts of the town, 
and G-en, Edward F. Beale, within a few years, has sold many valu- 
able lots in the business part of the city, on easy terms, and sup- 
plied the money to those wishing to build thereon, which has 
greatly improved Edgmont avenue above the railroad, and has re- 
sulted in the erection of many imposing dwellings and roomy stores. 

In 1856, gas was introduced into Chester, and twelve years later 
water was distributed to the public by the Water Board from the 
basin on Concord Avenue. Previous to that, wells and pumps sup- 



Chester from the year 1850 to 1882. 45- 

plied the people, and the scarcety of that element in the Borough, 
frequently caused much inconvenient to the large manufactures. 
When Mr. Campbell first established his mill, he was compelled to 
draw all the water used in the mill from the creek. 

During the civil war, Chester's records is excelled by no town of 
a like size in the nation. She gave freely of her men and means for 
the preservation of the government. In the early days of the Re- 
bellion, when the news of the firing on Fort Sumpter had just 
startled the loyal North into activity, the intelligence was one even- 
ing brought to Chester, that a low black schooner was coming up 
the river to destroy the town and burn the bridges on the railroad. 
The citizens turned out promptly, organized themselves into a mili- 
tary company for defense, and, that that body did not cover itself 
with heroic laurels is simply due to the fact, that the enemy learning 
of the preparations made to receive them, discreetly refused to as- 
cend the Delaware as far as this place. The Crum creek campaign, 
however, deserves a chapter in the unwritten history of that trying 
period in our country's story. Subsequently John P. Grozer ten- 
dered the buildings since known as the Crozer Theological Seminary 
as a hospital for wounded soldiers, and many maimed men, both in 
the North and South, to this day greet the name of this city with 
grateful recollections of the thousand kindnesses shown them by its 
residents, while they Avere mmates of the national hospital here. 

By Act of Assembly, February 13, 1866, the ancient Borough 
was incorporated into a city. Hon. John Larkin, Jr., was elected 
the first Mayor, serving two consecutive terms from 1866 to 1872, 
and was succeeded by Dr. J. L. Forwood, who was honored in being 
the executive of the city during the National Centennial, holding 
the office for three terms, from 1872 to 1881. He in turn was fol- 
lowed by Hon. James Barton, Jr., the present incumbent, whose 
term will include the observances of the Bi-Centennial Landing of 
William Penn at Chester. A peculiar circumstance is that each of 
the persons who have been Mayors of this city, are representatives 
of old Delaware county families, and the ancestry of all of them can 
be traced backward in our county's annals to the coming of the 
first settlers of their name will be almost coeval which was of Penn 
himself. 



COURT HOUSES AND PRISONS AT CHESTER. 



THE Swedish settlers at Upland must have had a crude but 
generally accepted system of judicial authority reposed in some 
person or persons, to preserve the public peace, at least, if no power 
to enforce right between parties in civil disputes was recognized. 
In the lapse of time we have lost all record or tradition even respect- 
ing the tribunal which administered even-handed justice according 
to the rude notions of those early times. The first mention we have 
of a Court being held at Upland is found in the " Records of Up- 
land Court" itself, from 1676 to 1681, edited and annotated by 
Edward Armstrong, Esq., and published by the Historical Society 
of Pennsylvania. From this valuable work the greater part of our 
present knowledge of the judicial proceedings of the early days of 
the Province is derived. 

At the session of Upland Court, November 14, 1676, an order 
was made providing that Neeles Laerson be paid " for his charges 
for keeping the Court last year," and that the former clerk, William 
Tom, " deliver to the present clerk, Eph. Herman, the records and 
other public books and writing belonging to the Court." This order 
was obeyed, but the documents were found to be in such confusion 
that Tom was order to properly arrange them before he transferred 
them to his successor. Tom, however, died in 1677, and the records, 
being still in his possession at the time, are now lost to posterity. 
The inn of Laerson is believed to have been on Edgmont avenue, 
north of the present Second street. He was the owner of 181 acres 
of land in Chester, covering a large part of the present thickly built 
up portion of the city to which I am now referring. Neeles Laer- 



Court Houses and Prisons at Chester. 47 

son was a quarelsome neighbor, as will be seen by an examination of 
the records. In 1678, James Sandilands, on behalf of the inhabit- 
ants of Upland, called the attention of the Court to the fact that 
Laerson had built a fence closing the old and usual way to the mea- 
dow, which obsti'uction the Court ordered the latter to remove. On 
the same day the church wardens complained that in taking posses- 
sion of two lots in ( Chester, which he had bought from Dominie Lasse 
Carolus, he had included some of the church or glebe lands. The 
Court ordered that he should be allowed that which he had bought, 
but, if it was found that he had taken more than was by right his, 
it should be annexed to the church lots. 

The first Court of which we have information was, as shown, held 
at Learson's inn, but the justice ordered November 13, 1677, that 
Captain Hans Jargin, who had been occupying the building as a bar- 
racks for his company, should " fit up " the House of Defence or 
Block House and furnish it "fitt for the Court to sitt in against ye 
next Court." Although there is no positive record showing that 
the House of Defence was used by the Court for its sessions, it is 
now generally conceded that the evidence fully established the fact 
that it was so occupied. This building, which was constructed of 
logs, stood on the east side of Edgmont avenue, about eighty-four 
feet from the present Second street ; was rectangular in shape, and 
was fourteen by fifteen feet in dimension. It was erected at an 
angle to Second street and extended into the roadway of Edgmont 
avenue. Neeles Learson, March 13, 1678, was ordered by the Court 
" to make or leave a lane or street from Upland creek to ye House 
of Defence or County House " between that time and the next Court, 
and in default to be fined at the discretion of the judges. As the 
early settlers traveled almost wholly by water, it was very essential 
that there should be free access from the creek to the public build- 
ings, and this means of communication the pugnacious Laerson 
seems to have interrupted until the strong arm of the law dealt sum- 
marily with him. How long the House of Defence was used as the 
public buildings of the county, I cannot say, but in 1703, after two 
other building in succession had been occupied by the Court, the 
Grand Jury presented the old Block House " as being a nuisance 
and dangerous of taking fire, and so would endanger the town." 
" The Court," so runs the old entry on the docket, " in deliberate 



48 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

consideration, ordered the siid house to be pulled down and that 
Jasper Yeates, Chief. Burgess of the Borough of Chester, shall see 
the order performed." Previous to 1665, there seems to have been 
no place for the detention of prisoners in Chester for two years be- 
fore that date, " John Ward for sundry Felons, committed to the 
custody of the Sheriff, and made his escape with irons upon him." 

The third Court House, or the third building wherein Court was 
held, was built in 1684-'85. Dr. Smith, the late able historian of 
Delaware county says : '' A jail was erected at the same time, but 
there is reason to believe that it was built near the creek, and that 
there was a street laid out between the two buildings." Henry 
Eollingsworth, who was a Friend, "for cutting the eaves of the 
new prison," was dealt with by meeting the same year. This Court 
House, both Dr. Smith and John' Hill Martin believe, was located 
on the east side of Edgmont avenue ; and in the draft of the first 
settled part of Chester, in Smith's History, it is marked as being 
between the House of Defence and the Hoskin's house, known to 
us of the present generation as the Grraham house. The student of 
our ancient anuals will find more confusion in the authorities re- 
specting the sites of the several Court Houses, than in any other 
details of the early days of the Colony. This last building, after 
it was no longer used for county purposes, was ordered by the Court, 
at the March session, 1701, " to be set on sale the 6th day of the 
third month next, papers to be set up to give notice that it is to be 
sold at Vandew." 

Whether the sale was had, according to order, I do not know, 
but the property must have passed to Ralph Fishbourn, of Chester, 
gentleman, for in the latter part of the year 1705, the Legislature 
passed an act " to assure, grant and convey unto Ralph Fishbourn 
one messuage, cottage house, or tenement, and lot of ground there- 
unto belonging, situated in Chester, in the county of Chester, for- 
merly known by the name of the ' Old Court House.' " 

The fourth Court House, so far as its foundation is concerned, is 
still standing on the west side of Edgmont avenue, nearly opposite 
the House of Defence, its precise location being two hundred and 
fifty-six feet six inches from the south-west corner of Edgmont 
avenue and Third street. It was built by John Hoskins, in 1695, 
and he conveyed the lot to the county the same year. The old 



^^':S^^ 



^M .J' ~^. 




Vourt Houses and Prisons al Ohesler, 49 

feuilding, now owned by Jonathan Pennell, has a part of the wall 
of this Court House standing in the nortliern gable of the preserit 
structure, between the two end windows, and extending up nearly 
to the second story. The old part of the wall and that which was 
added after it ceased to be the county building, is still easily dis- 
cernible. The jail was in the cellar, and the iron rods which for- 
merly barred the prisoners' escape from confinement, while admit- 
ting fresh air to the cells, still remain in the weather-stained frames 
in the foundation walls. The Court room and Jury rooms were in 
the first and second stories. 

At the same Court, March 1701, at which the sale of the old 
Court House erected in 1684 was ordered, the prison being found 
inadequate to retain the culprits, Jasper Yeates, Ralph Fishbourn, 
Joseph Cobourn and Andrew Jobe, were appointed supervisors to 
build a new prison on the grounds of James Sandilancls, the young- 
er, and were instructed that the erection should be twenty-five feet 
in length by eighteen feet in width in the clear. This structure, 
so far as the prison was concerned, was built, for the old draft of 
Chester, now owned by William B. Broomall, Esq., locates this 
building as south of the Court House built by Hoskins in 1695, 
and Sandilands, by his attorney, David Lloyd, in open Court, de- 
livered a deed for the land to the commissioners of the county. 
Within the walls of the old goal, languished, in 1718, Hugh Pugh 
and Lazarus Thomas, who were hung May 9, of that year for the 
murder of Jonathan Hays ; and here, too, in 1722, were detained 
William Hill, Mary Woolvin, and James Battin, under sentence of 
death. The first two were reprieved for twelve months by Sir 
William Keith, Deputy Governor, but Battin was directed to be 
executed and hung in irons in the most public place. 

I have serious doubt whether the Court House alluded to in the 
report of the Grand Jury of the 24th of Februai*y, 1701, was ever 
built. The Grand Inquest, on that occasion, called the attention 
of the Court to " the necessity of a Court Hous and prison hous," 
but stated also that " there is little money in the bank, and that 
many have not paid their moiety i rate of the last assessment, de- 
sire that such may be forced." They also recommended the speedy 
gathering of the county tax remaining unpaid, and requested the 
Justices to issue warrants therefor, and end their report with the 



50 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

declaration that in their opinion " Law and Justice cannot have its 
perfect courc without such housis for tlieir distribution as afore- 
said." We know that at the December Court, 1701, the Justices 
ordered repairs to be made " to the court and prison hous," and 
appointed Walter Martin, John Hoskins and Henry Worley to be 
supervisors and oversee the work, with power to provide materialSy 
employ workmen, and to finish the repairs as speedily as possible. 
The supervisors were also instructed to provide a pair of stocks and 
a whipping post. Whether the expense of the building of the new 
Court, as desired by the Grand Jury, in 1701-'2, was greater than 
the county could undertake, cannot now be determined, but there 
is no documentary evidence to show that such a structure was ever 
erected, and, I endorse the opinion of Dr. Smith and John Hill 
Martin, that the next Court House, in chronological order, was the 
old building on Market street, known to us of the present day as 
the City Hall. 

The fifth Court House, including the tavern of Neeles LaersoUy 
in the number, was the massive stone structure still standing on 
the west side of Market street, which was built in 1724, the date 
stone being in the south wall, but covered with the dull brownish 
preparation which still defaces the ancient edifice, and hides the 
numerals from sight. The building has the pent roof projections 
over the first-story windows, as was the style of architecture of that 
day, and as originally constructed was surmounted with a small 
belfry rising from the centre of the roof, in which formerly hung a 
bell, with the words " Chester, 1729," cast in the metal. The bay 
or serai-circular projection at the north side, in the rear of the 
Judges' bench, was added at a latter date. The jury rooms were 
in the second story of the building. Dr. Smith tell us that tradi- 
tion has handed down an incident •' as having happened during the 
building of the Court House, or some other public building in Ches- 
ter," which he relates as follows : 

" During the progress of the work a young lady was observed to 
pass and repass the building daily, dressed in very gay attire. After 
the promenade had been continued for some time, one of the work- 
men, less mannerly than his associates, upon the appearance of the 
lady, called out : 

"In silk and scarlet walks many a harlot." 



Court Houses and Prisons at Chester. 51 

The young lady, feeling indignant at the insult, promptly replied : 

" By line and rule works many a fool." 

Unfortunately for the tradition connecting this incident with 
■Chester, the same story is told respecting the erection of an edifice 
in York, England, which building antedates the discovery of 
America by the Genoese mariner, and the anecdote is related of 
several localities in Great Britain years before we have knowledge 
that any European had settled at Upland, 

When the new Court House was finished an Act of Assembly was 
procured, " to enable the trustee to sell the old Court House and 
prison belonging to the borough and county of Chester," and in 
1725, the building mentioned, the one built in 1695, and part of the 
wall of which stands in the house now owoed by Jonathan Pennell, 
on Edgmont avenue, was sold to Wm. Preston, of Philadelphia, 
mariner, for j£27. 

The presumption is that the old jail and workhouse, which stood 
at the north-west corner of Fourth and Market streets, were built 
in the same year as the Court House, but we knew that the old 
Prothonotary's office, which still stands, falling back from the pre- 
sent building line of Market street, and now owned by Jas. Hampson, 
was not erected in that year, for at " the private session " of the 
Court, held at the house of John Hannum, in Concord, December 
15, 1724, Joseph Parker petitioned the Court, "setting forth ye 
great danger ye records of ye county lay in, as well as by casualities 
of fire, as other accidents;" the Court "allows ye petition to be 
reasonable, and orders ye clerk to present ye same before ye com- 
missioners and assessors of ye same county, in order that they may fit 
a room in ye new Court House for keeping ye said records in ; and 
when prepared order ye old clerk to transmit all ye said records to 
ye place so appropriated accordingly, and not to be removed with- 
out ye Court's direction." Indeed, I much doubt whether that 
building of Mr. Hampson antedates the Revolutionary war, and 
my reasons for that conclusion are these : Joseph Parker succeed- 
ed David Lloyd, as Prothonotary of the Courts, and at his death, 
in 1766, was succeeded by Henry Hale Graham, who retained that 
office until March 26, 1777, when Thomas Taylor was appointed to 
succeed Mr. Graham. Taylor never assumed the duties of the posi- 
tion, and Benjamin Jacobs was appointed April 4, of the same year. 



52 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

On the 28th of July, the records of the county were still in Mr, 
Grraham's possession, for on that date, the Executive Council au- 
thorized Caleb Davis — Benjamin Jacobs not having qualified — who 
was appointed in Jacob's stead, to " enter the dwelling and out- 
houses of H. H. Graham, take possession of the books and papers 
of the county, and remove them to a place of safety," Joseph 
Parker had kept the records in an office alongside his dwelling 
house — the old Logan house on Second street — and Henry Hale 
Grraham had after that deposited the records in his office, the one- 
story building on Edgmont avenue, north of Grraham street, now 
belonging to the estate of Henry Abbott, deceased. It seems that in 
the growth of the business before the county Court, the rooms in 
the second story of the Court House were necessary for the use of 
the Grand and Petit juries, and hence the order of the Court of 
December 15, \WIA, had to be disregarded. The Prothonotary's 
office, I am of opinion, must necessarily have been erected subse- 
quent to the battle of Brandywine, for it was the dread of the 
threatened British attack on Philadelphia, which occasioned the 
alarm of Council as to the safety of the county records, and called 
forth the order to Caleb Davis. 

The old county prison and workhouse, as I said before, were built 
at about the same time as the Court House. The jail was two-stories 
high, built of square cut stone, and extended westwardly along 
Fourth street. In the front part of the building was the Sheriff's 
house. This was a structure two stories and an attic in height, 
presenting in the front to the street, the general style of the Court 
House. Back of the prison and extending along Fourth street was 
the workhouse, also of stone. (Mr. William Beatty has recently 
from memory prepared an excellent picture of the old prison and 
workhouse.) In 1741, the Court House and Jail were repaired and 
painted, and a well dug in the Court House yard. The old pump, 
with a heavy iron handle, stood, within the memory of many of our 
older residents, a nuisance in winter, because of the drippings there- 
from forming ice and rendering its locality a dangerous one to pe- 
destrians. Many years ago the trunk was taken out and the well 
filled in. Part of the old brickwork of the well is under the front 
foundation of the store No. 404 Market street. During the year 
just mentioned, the commissioners paid Nathan Worley j610 for 



Covrt Houses and Prif^ons at Chester. 53 

planks used in flooring the two dungeons on the east side of the 
prison, and Thomas Morgan was paid £5 lis. 6d. for 150 pounds 
of spikes used in laying the dungeon floors. In front of the goal 
and extending to the Court House doors was a double row of Lom- 
bardy poplars, which afforded a pleasant shady walk in the summer, 
and frequently during periods of political excitement, here the ora- 
tor of the day held forth and saved the nation by his noisy mouth- 
ings. The old trees at length grew so unsightly, many of their 
branches having died, that over half a century ago the poplars were 
cut down and a double row of lindens were planted to replace the 
ancient trees under whose towering branches our Revolutionary 
sires discussed the Boston Port Bill and other measures preceding 
the actual outbreak of hostilities between the Colonies and the mo- 
ther country, and within the venerable structure proceedings were 
had to I'aise the quota of the Continental troops required from 
Chester county, as in after years similar meetings were held to pro- 
vide soldiers during the Rebellion. 

In 1 728, John and Walter Winter were convicted of the murder 
of an Indian woman, Quilee, anil they were executed July 3, of 
that year. At the bar of the old Court House, in 1752, Thomas 
Kelly was convicted of the murder of Eleanor Davis, and in less 
than a month thereafter paid the penalty of his crime. In 1760, 
John Lewis was convicted of the murder of his wife, Ann, and four 
years after Jane Ewing was convicted of infanticide. In 1764, 
Phebe, a slave of Joseph Richardson, was hung for robbery, and 
her master received jG55 from the Colonial treasury, her appraised 
value. In 1768, Thomas Vaughan and John Dowdle were convict- 
ed of the murder of Thomas Sharpe ; in 1770, Matthew McMahon 
was convicted of the murder of John McClester ; in 1772, Pat- 
rick Kennedy, Thomas Fryer, Neal McCariher and James Dever 
were convicted of rape — the three last were reprieved during Lieut. 
Grovernor Richard Penn's pleasure — but Kennedy was executed :- 
the same year Henry Phillips was convicted of the murder of 
Richard Kelley ; in 1775, James Willis was sentenced to death for 
the murder of David Culin, and the sentence was duly executed. 
In 1778, James Fitzpatrick, the noted outlaw of Chester county, 
was arraigned and plead guilty of larceny and burglary, and was 
executed on the 26th of September, 1778. While in the old jail, 



54 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Fitzpatrick attempted to escape and had almost succeeded, when 
the noise of falling stone attracted attention and he was discovered. 
The next day he was removed to Philadelphia for greater safety, 
and returned to Chester jail the night preceding his execution. At 
the December Oyer and Terminer of 1785, Elizabeth Wilson was 
convicted of the murder of her two natural sons, twins, and, while 
in the cell in the old jail, she made her confession at the solicita- 
tion of her brother, to Judge Atlee, Attorney General Bradford, 
Elder Fleeson, the rector of St. Paul's Church, Sheriif Gibbons and 
her counsel, on which the Executive Council was petitioned to 
grant her a reprieve for thirty days, in order that the real culprit 
might be brought to justice. Her sad story lingers in the tradi- 
tions of our county. Indeed, long years ago the residents of Ches- 
ter would frequently relate the occasional appearance of a spectral 
white horse and rider, which on stormy nights could be seen and 
heard clattering along Fourth street at a headlong pace to the pris- 
on door, and that reached, the noise ceased and the apparition fad- 
ed into the darkness. Many of the superstitious people of that 
day believed that the phantom steed bore the unhappy William 
Wi'son, whose ride to Philadelphia, in January, 1786, to procure a 
respite for his sister, his return hither, owing to unavoidable de- 
Jays, just a quarter of an hour after she had been executed, crushed 
out his love for human society. For the last half century no one 
has been bold enough to assert they had seen the mounted ghost, 
and many of those who, in former yeai's made such declarations, 
seem to have entirely overlooked the fact that William, " The Her- 
mit of the Welsh Mountain," for such William Wilson became, 
did not die until lr819. 

In May, 1780, Joseph Bates, who was convicted of burglary, was 
sentenced to be hanged at the usual place of execution at Chester, 
at 2 o'clock, P. M., on the 20th day of that month; and on the 
26th of June of the same year, Robert Smith and John Smith were 
sentenced to be hung on Saturday, July 1st, at the same place 
where such executions usually took place. The locality where the 
extreme penalty of the law was enforced, I have been unable to as- 
certain, although we know the place where Elizabeth Wilson was 
hung. In January, 1786, Robert Wilson was in jail under sentence 
of death for burglary, but February 7, the Executive Council grant- 



Covrt Houses and Prison'' at Chester. 55 

ed him a pardon on condition that " he transport himself beyond 
the seas, not to return to the United States." On June 5, 1786, 
John McDonough and Uichard Shirtliffe, who had been convicted 
of rape and were confined in the old jail under sentence of death, 
were ordered to be executed, but the Executive Council reprieved 
Shirtliffe, instructing the Sheriff, however, that the fact should not 
be communicated to the condemned man until he had been taken 
under the gallows. 

At the close of the Revolution the residents of the upper part of 
Chester county began to protest against the distance they had to 
travel to reach the county seat, and Col. John Hannum, a brave 
Revolutionary officer, (during the war he was captured at his house 
in Goshen township, one night by the British light horse, and taken 
prisoner to Philadelphia,) who subsequently became a shrewd poli- 
tician, was the leading spirit in the movement, which assumed de- 
cided proportion, when the Legislature passed the act of March 20, 
1780, authorizing William Clingan, Thomas Bull, John Kinkead, 
Roger Kink, John Sellers, John and Joseph Davis, or any four of 
them, to build a new Court House and Prison in the county of 
Chester, and to sell the old Court House and Prison in the Borough 
of Chester. The commissioners thus appointed, being composed 
largely of persons opposed to removal, failed to take any action, 
and a supplement to the act of 1780 was adopted March 22, 1784, 
authorizing John Hannum^ Isaac Taylor and John Jacobs, or any 
two of them, to carry the act into execution. The three gentle- 
men thus named were ardent removalists, and went promptly to 
work to carry the law into effect. By the wording of the supple- 
ment they were restricted from erecting the buildings at a greater 
distance than one mile and a half from the Turk's Head Tavern, in 
the township of Goshen. This location, it seems, was inserted in 
the bill through the influence of Col. Hannum, who, with an eye to 
his personal advantage, believed that it would bring his land within 
the site designated. In this, however, he made an error, for his 
premises proved to be more than two miles from the Turk's Head, 
The commissioners, notwithstanding Hanmim's mistake, began the 
erection of a Court House and Prison adjacent, and connected by 
a jail yard. After the buildings had progressed until the walls 
were nearly completed, and while work was suspended because of 



56 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

the cold winter, the people of old Chester succeeded, March 30, 
1785, in having an act passed suspending the supplement under 
which the new structures were being erected. 

To make themselves sure in retaining the county seat in the an- 
cient Borough, a number of the anti-removalists gathered in Ches- 
ter under command of Major John Harper, then landlord of the 
City Hotel, in this city, and provided with arms, a field-piece, a 
barrel of whisky and other necessary munitions of war, took up the 
line of march for the Turk's Head, intent on razing the walls of 
the proposed Court House and jail to the earth. In the meanwhile 
Col. Hannum, learning of the hostile designs of the Chester peo- 
ple, dispatched couriers in all directions, calling on the friends of 
removal to rally to the protection of the half-completed buildings, 
and Thomas Beaumont is said to have ridden all night from farm- 
house to farmiiouse in Goshen and Bradford townships, summoning 
the clan. The forces under command of Major Harper were march- 
ing toward the Turk's Head, and at night had encamped at the 
General Green Tavern, a few miles east of West Chester, when 
Col. Hannum was first apprised of their approach. The latter col- 
lected his men within the building. The next morning the Chester 
people came in sight of the fortification, when Major Harper planted 
his artillery on an eminence known as Quaker Hill, commanding the 
Court House. The absurdity of the matter dawning on the minds 
of some of the persons in the ranks of Harper's men, they contrived 
to bring about a cessation of hostilities, and the whole affair ended 
in a jollification, during which the cannon was repeatedly discharged 
in rejoicing over peace restored. The armistice was based on the 
agreement of the removalists that they would wait further opera- 
tions on the building until the Legislature should take action on 
the matter. Although the removalists desisted from work only un- 
til the anti-removalists were out of hearing, they were not long de- 
layed, for, at the next session, March 18, 1786, the following curi- 
ously entitled Act became a law : " An act to repeal an act entitled 
an act to suspend an act of the General Assembly of this Common- 
wealth, entitled an act to enable Wm. Clingan, etc.," and under the 
provision the buildings at the new county seat were finished. On 
the 25th of September, 1786, a law was passed empowering Wil- 
liam Gibbon, the then Sheriff of Chester county, to remove the 



Court Houses avd Prisons at Chester. 57 

•" prisoners from the old jail in the town of Chester, to the new jail 
in Goshen township, in the said county — and to indemnify him for 
the same." 

The old Court House and county buildings in Chester were sold 
on the 18th of March, 1788, to William Kerlin, for ^415. After 
the passage of the Act of September 26, 1789, creating the county 
of Delaware, Kerlin sold the property November 3, 1789, to the 
county for j£693 3s. 8d., and Henry Hale Graham was appointed 
President Judge of the several Courts of Delaware county. Judge 
Grraham, who was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 
1790, died January 23, of that year, in I'hiladelphia, while attend- 
ing a meeting of that body, hence he never presided over the Courts 
of the new county, the first session of which was held February 9, 
1790. 

In 1817, John H. Craig was convicted of the murder of Edward 
Hunter, of Newtown. Squire Hunter and Isaac Cochran were wit- 
nesses to a will which was unsatisfactory to Craig. He believed 
that if the w-itnesses were removed the will would become inope- 
rative, and so believing, he laid in wait to murder them. Hunter 
was shot in the evening as he was taking his horse to the stable. 
The murderer concealed himself at the foot of .some rolling ground, 
and the figure of his victim was brought prominently into view by 
the brilliant sunset back of him. After he fired the fatal shot, 
Craig's presence of mind forsook him. He threw away his gun in 
the bushes near by and fled. The gun, found where he had cast it, 
led to his arrest and final conviction. In his confession Craig sta- 
ted that several times he had attempted to take the life of Coch- 
ran, but each time he raised his gun to shoot, the person walking 
with Cochran stepped to his side in such a way as to interpose him- 
self between the murderer and his proposed victim. Craig was 
executed near Munday's run, in the summer of 1817. In the fall 
of the year 1824, William Bonsall, of Upper Darby, who was ill at 
the time, was brutally murdered by three men. Michael Monroe, 
alias James Wellington, Washington Labbe and Abraham Boys, 
were arrested and tried at Chester for the crime. Hon. Edward 
Darlington, who is still living at Media, was prosecuting officer of 
the Commonwealth, and Wellington was defended by Benjamin 
Tilghman. The jury, which rendered its verdict on Sunday morn- 



58 Historical SkAck of Chester. 

ing, October 29, 1824, convicted Wellington of murder in the first 
degree, Washington Labbe of murder in the second degree, and 
acquitted Abraham Boys. Wellington was hanged Friday, Decem- 
ber 17, 1824, on Mrs. Bartholomew's comnton, on the Concord road, 
above the present water works. It is said that five years after 
W^ellington's execution, a convict dying in Sing Sing prison, stated 
under oath, that he and two other men were the real murderers of 
Bonsall The sworn confession being presented to the proper au- 
thorities, Labbe, who had been sentenced to ten years' imprison- 
ment, was pardoned, but his long incarceration had so undermined 
his health, that he died shortly after his release. 

In 1824, when Joseph Weaver was Sheriff", a convict named Tom 
Low succeeded in making his escape from confinement. He had 
been in the jail yard, as Avas usual, at a certain time of the day, 
and, being forgotten, he managed to get possession of a spade, 
with which he burrowed under the yard wall, coming out about fif- 
teen feet from the Court House. He was never recaptured. 

On Tuesday, October 5, 1824, Gen. Lafayette was the guest of 
Chester. He was accompanied by Gov. Shulze and staff, General 
Cadwallader and stafl", and many of the dignitaries of Philadelphia. 
The steamboat did not reach the landing until eleven o'clock at 
night, but a line of boys, each bearing a lighted candle, was formed 
extending, it is said, from the wharf to the Washington House. 
Most of the houses in the town were brilliantly lighted, and the 
windows decorated with transparencies and designs. At one o'clock 
in the morning the Generel and friends were " regaled with a sump- 
tuous entertainment " at the Court House, which had been pre- 
pared by the ladies of Chester. Lafayette remained in the ancient 
Borough during Wednesday when he reviewed the volunteers of 
Delaware and Chester counties, and on Thursday, at 7 o'clock in 
the morning, he started in a coach and four for Wilmington, ac- 
companied by a suitable escort. 

In 1841, Thomas Cropper, a colored man, for the murder of Mar- 
tin Hollis, in Birmingham township, was hung in the jail yard. 
Hon. John Larkin, Jr., was Sheriff" at that time. Cropper, as 
the day fixed for his execution drew near, made several attempts 
to escape, and in doing so filed some of the bars in the chimney in his 
cell apart. His hair was crisp and abundant, and he had concealed 



Court Houses and Prisons at Chester. 59 

a watch spring file therein so adroitly that for a long time the au- 
thorities could not discover the tool with which he accomplished 
his work. This was the last case of capital punishment in Dela- 
ware county. * 

During the forties the old prison was the scene of a practical 
joke perpetrated on Major Peck, a military magnate of the State, 
who had been ordered to Chester to review the militia here. The 
influence of Friends was such that public opinion was adverse to 
warlike education, and the visitation of the Major was regarded iu 
no friendly spirit. T apprehend that Hon. John M. Broomall, then 
a young man, had more to do with the peculiar circumstances at- 
tending the military hero's visit than he cared to have known at the 
time it took place. However, several of the practical jokers, who 
then infested Chester, induced the Major to visit the prison on the 
pretext that within its ancient precincts were several relics of the 
long ago, worthy of inspection by a stranger visiting Chester. The 
plan worked to a charm. After the party had gained admission to 
the jail and the door was locked behind them, the keys were con- 
cealed, and all that day until evening the military gentleman and 
two of the roysters of Chester stood looking through a grated win- 
dow in the second story, callino to the people below in the street, 
to procure their release. The keys could not be found until night 
had nearly come, but several times during the day the imprisoned 
men lowered strings to the crowd below and drew them up with pro- 
visions and other refreshments pendant thereto. After his release 
Major Peck had several other joKes played upon him before he 
shook the dust of Chester from his feet, never to revisit it. 

In 1845 began the agitation of the removal of the county seat to 
a more central location, and in November of that year a meeting 
was held at the Black Horse Hotel, in Middletown, to consider the 
topic. The Grand Jury at the November Court, as had been done 
by a former Grand Inquest, recommended the building of a new jail, 
and the removalists were anxious that no steps should be taken to- 
wards that end umtil the people had an opportunity to consider the 
mooted point, and hence they petitioned the Assembly to enact a 
law that the question should be submitted to a vote of the people. 
In 1847 the Legislature passed an act to that eifect and after a bit- 
ter struggle, the election held October 12, 1847, resulted in a ma- 



60 Historical Sketch of Chester, 

jority of 752 in favor of removal. The question of the constitu- 
tionality of the law being raised, the Supreme Court in 1849, sus- 
tained the statute, and Media was selected as the new county seat. 
Thus Chester, after being the seat of justice of Delaware county 
for sixty- two years, was again shorn of its honors. Court was held 
in the old Court House for the last time by Judge Chapman, Presi- 
dent, and Leiper and Engle, Associate Judges, May 26, 1851. The 
session continued until Friday, May 30, 1851, when the Crier, for 
the last time in the ancient building proclaimed the Court adjourned 
sine die. The records were removed to Media in Juiie 1851 On 
August 25, of the same year. Court was held at Media for the first 
time. During that session Robert E Hannum, Robert McCay, 
Jr., and Charles D. Manley, Esquires, were appointed Examiners 
on the application of Thomas J Clayton, to be admitted as an at- 
torney of the several Courts of Delaware county. Twenty-three 
years later Mr. Clayton was elected President Judge of the county, 
which position he now holds. 

After the change of the county seat was settled beyond cavil, the 
old buildings and grounds in this city were sold December 9, 1850, 
in three lots. The Court House and two lots were sold to the Bo- 
rough authorities for $2601, the Prothonotary's office and lot ad- 
joining it on the north, to James Hampson, for $1525, and the jail 
and lots adjoining to James Campbell, for $3520. 

Previous to the purchase, Mr. Campbell, who had been a success- 
ful manufacturer at Leiperville, saw the natural advantages of 
Chester, and had determined to locate here. In The Delaware 
County Republican of April 5, 1850, appeared the following local : 

"Pioneer Factory.— The new manufacturing establishment 
projected in the Borough by Mr. James Campbell, of Ridley, was 
put in partial operation last week, and the puffing of the steam en- 
gine and the music of the shuttle are daily heard in our midst, 
causing us increased wonder why a town, possessing so many and 
rare advantages as our own was not years ago converted into a 
great manufacturing mart. Mr. Campbell is about to extend his 
buildings, and in a short time will have one hundred looms in ac- 
tive operation. The machinery used is handsomely finished and of 
a superior kind. We have examined a specimen of the goods made 
by it and predict that they will find a ready sale in whatever mar- 
ket they may be off'ered." 

In this article Mr. Walter alludes to the old bowling alley which 



Court Houses awl Prisons at Chester. 61 

stood on the north side of Fourth street, where part of the Market 
House is now located. The Republican failed to record an incident 
which happened when the first loom was started in the Pioneer 
mill, by the late James Ledward, then in Campbell's employ. A 
number of citizens of Chester were present when the machinery 
first began to move, and as they saw it in motion, all present broke 
into a cheer, and afterward, they one and all sang " Hail Colum- 
bia." Many who were then employed in the first manufacture of 
textile goods in Chester, will recall this incident to memory. Af- 
ter Mr. (!ampbell purchased the jail and workhouse, he tore down 
the northern wall of the old structure and built out in that direc* 
tion, so that his mill, retaining the name " Pioneer Mills," extend- 
ed over to and included the prison yard walls. In the new addition 
he kept the Jacquard looms, and thereon were woven quilts and 
fabrics of a like character. The great difficulty he had to contend 
with was the scarcity of water, and to meet this want he expended 
thousands of dollars in sinking wells in the yard. The new enter- 
prise, which had required a large outlay of means, was getting well 
established when the panic of 1856 came upon the country, spread- 
ing ruin in all directions and crushing down industrial establish- 
ments by the thousands. 

Mr. Campbell at that time .became financially embarrassed, and 
in 1858 the " Pioneer Mills" passed into the ownership of the late 
General Robert E. Patterson, The latter sold a lot on Market 
street to Amos Holt, who erected a brick building, now occupied 
by Rorer & Mingin, as well as the adjoming lot to the present own- 
er, John Gregg, who built a store for the book and stationery 
business. Holt's building was subsequently sold to William Pow- 
ell, and in succession it became the property of Wiss Willey, 
Charles Roberts, and at present is owned by Mr. Cook. The mill, 
after Campbell's failure, was occupied by Jame& Stephens until 
about 1863, when Messrs. Roberts, Wilson &, Willey carried on the 
manufacturing business therein. In 1865, Gen. Patterson sold the 
Market street front to James Chadwick, who in 1866 tore down 
the old building and erected Lincoln Hall. While taking down 
the tall flag pole which stood on the sidewalk at Fourth and Market 
streets, the halyards had been drawn through the block, and Charles 
Martine clambered up to make a rope fast so that the pole, lower 



62 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

and topmast, might be pulled over into the street. After he had 
climbed a goodly distance, the pole which had rotted where it en- 
tered the ground, broke off level with the sidewalk and fell, fa- 
tally crushing Martine beneath it. The rear part of the old prison 
passed into the ownership of John Cochran, and on part of the lot 
the Market House now stands. Chadwick sold the property to 
Messrs. Gartside & Sons, and they in turn conveyed it to Chester 
Lodge, No. 236, F. A. M., who now own it. 

After the Borough authorities acquired the old (yourt House 
they made many changes, provided a commodious hall in the second 
story for the use of the Council, which is to-day used by their suc- 
cessors, the Council of the City of Chester : they also removed the 
old belfry and built a steeple in which was placed a four-dialed 
clock and a new bell. The old one, which had called together 
judges, lawyers, jurors and suitors for nearly a century and a quar- 
ter was removed to the ancient school house at Fifth and Welsh 
streets. 



HISTORIC BlilLDlNGS IN CHESTER. 



M^iMF jfmwi€w^ ^F Tmmi® ®w^Em& m^i 



The BoHV 's Eea.d Inn. 

11 HIS ancient hostelry stood in the line of the present Penn 
street, on an eminence, the footway approaching it having a 
slight ascent to the building. It was one story and a half high, 
with peaked roof, the gable end standing toward Third street, and 
from it, just below the eaves, projected the crane from which the 
old sign of a boar's head was suspended. The house was construct-' 
ed of heavy frame timber, filled in with brick, and outside as well 
as inside the laths which were interlaced in a kind of basket pat- 
tern, were covered with plaster made of oyster shell lime and mud, 
while in place of hair, swamp grass was employed to hold the com-' 
position together. The doors were peculiar in the manner in which 
they were hung, a peg or projection from the door above and below 
fitted into holes made in the frames, and on these they swung in-^ 
stead of hinges. The windows, with the exception of the one in 
the kitchen were small ; the glasses, 4 by 3 in size, were set in lead. 
The sashes were not hung with weights, a comparatively modern 
improvement, and when it was desired that the lower sashes should 
be raised, they were supported by pieces of wood which fitted into 
the grooves in the frames, or a turn buckle placed half way up sus- 
tained the weight. The large window in the kitchen was made to 
slide one sash past the other. The roof was of split shingles, and 



64 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

the kitchen floor was laid in flagging some of which were as large 
as 6 by 8 feet, and under these was a body of eighteen inches of 
sand on which tliey rested. In the kitchen on the side opening to 
the west was a large double door through which a cart load of wo(td 
could be drawn if desired. The chimney was an enorriious affair, 
nearly sixteen feet in width, and the wide-mouthed o'd fireplace 
was spacious enough to hold entire cord wood sticks on great iron 
dogs, while on either side in the fireplace were benches, where, on 
excessively cold days the chilled inmates of the house could rest 
themselves, while enjoying the blazing fire on the hearth. The cel- 
lar, which was under the front part of the building, was a model, 
and its like would be difficult to find among even the most impo- 
sing structures of this day. It was of dressed stone, the joints 
were true, every stone set square and as carefully laid as the ma- 
sonry of the City Hall. The workmen might well have been proud 
of this exhibition of their skill. The front room, which was used 
as a sleeping room, was spacious, as was also the sitting room back 
of it, but both these apartments, as well as the ones above, were 
without means of warmth in the winter. The well was noted for 
its clear, pure water, and often in the evening the residents of 
Chester, in the first half of the present century, who were com- 
pelled to use the mineral waters of the town, would walk over to 
the ancient well to enjoy a cheering draught from its refreshing 
depths. The old house was shaded by many varieties of fruit trees, 
such as cherries, apricots, pears and plums, and apples, of the ap- 
proved varieties of our early days, were abundant in the garden, 
where many flowers perfumed the air with their delightful odors. 

It was in this house that William Penn passed the Avinter of 
1682-'83, and, doubtless, as he sat in the kitchen, watching the 
flaming wood in the fireplace, he could not but contrast the dreari- 
ness of his then surroundings with the brilliant courts of the Grand 
Monarch of France and that of his unscrupulous and subservient 
tool, Charles II. of England, in which he had often been received. 
Notwithstanding, nowhere in his spoken or written words do we 
find that he gave utterance to his regrets at the change in his mode 
of living, from the elegant refinement of that day, (which in ours 
would have been rude and boisterous,) to the frequent want of even 
the very necessaries of life he was then undergoing. 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 65 

We do not know who it was who had the honor, as the then land- 
lord, to receive under his roof the founder of a great Common- 
wealth, but doubtless it was Jonathan Ogden, who in his will, da- 
ted August 17, 1727, and probated thirteen days thereafter, styles 
himself inn keeper. In the early deeds from Wade, his land is 
mentioned, and I presume that he acquired it previous to Penn's 
coming, although I ha-ve been unable to establish this fact from the 
record. He devised this property to his sons David and Joseph 
Odgen and Katharine, his daughter, share and share alike. The 
executors named, George Ashbridge and Jacob Howell, failed to 
carry out the testator's intention, inasmch as he directed them to 
sell his real estate as soon as possible and divide the proceeds among 
his children mentioned. How Katharine's share became absorbed 
in those of her brothers I do not know, but the title remained in 
equal share in the two sons and their descendants until purchased 
by Isaac E. Engle, December W, 1826, from the children and 
grandchildren of David and Joseph Ogden. The descendants of the 
latter liad all removed from this neighborhood, but the children of 
David Ogden, excepting his son David, who resided in Wilmington ■; 
his daughters, Sarah Pyle, Ann Siddons, Mary Cotter, all lived in 
Chester, and during the greater part of her widowhood Polly Cotter, 
as she was familiarly called, resided in the old house She vacated 
it because of Increasing age^ and the house was rented to William 
Baggs, who lived there until he died. Mr. Baggs was at one time 
offered the whole property for several hundred dollars, but declined 
to purchase it, as he was not sure the investment would have been 
a good one, and, so far as he was concerned, it would not have been, 
for Chester did not awaken from its lethargy until several years after 
his death. James Baggs, the only son, removed to Philadelphia, 
and Katharine married Samuel Ulrich in 1828. 

The Squire, for such Samuel Ulrich afterwards became, and is 
remembered more particularly by that title, was a genial, jovial gen- 
tleman, who loved a pleasing joke but never played a practical one 
to the injury or inconvenience of his neighbors, a pattern of a ma- 
gistrate in that he never fanned the flame of dispute between suit- 
ors, but ever sought to settle the difficulty in such a way as to re- 
move all rancor from the minds of the parties. He abounded in 
recollections of the olden times of Chester, and related his remi- 



66 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

niscences of the past with all intonation and emphasis necessary to 
give point and expression to his narrative. He died December 5, 
1871. 

Jane Baggs married Jeremiah Stevenson, but died many years 
ago. " Jerry " Stevenson is one of our best known citizens. 
When Hon. John Larkin, Jr., was Sheriff, he was one of his depu- 
ties during the execution of Thomas Cropper, in the jail yard, and 
after the trip had been sprung and the prisoner's struggles unfast- 
ened the ropes that bound his arms, he it was who pinioned his 
arms again. A merciful act, for the half-hanged man clutched 
wildly with his hands at the rope by which he was suspended, and 
his suffering was rendered more intense because of that effort. 
" Jerry " was a noted shot in his younger days. 

Mary Baggs became the wife of Hon. John Larkin, Jr., whose 
active, energetic life, memorable for its public usefulness, I have 
mentioned fully elsewhere 

After the family of Mr. Baggs moved away from the old dwel- 
ling it had several tenants, and at last a colored family, Warner 
Pryor's occupied it. On the morning of March 20, 1848, the Pryor 
family vacated it, and the same evening the old building was found 
in flames. The fire was supposed to be an incendiary one. "J erry" 
Stevenson who was employed to remove the ruins of the old dwel- 
ling, when he came to take up the flagging in the kitchen, found 
deeply embedded in the sand on which they rested, an old hatchet, 
peculiar in its shape, but of good steel, which had been dropped 
there by one of the workmen when the building was erected — cer- 
tainly before the arrival of Penn. 

The old historic structure having disappeared, when Crozer and 
Broomall began the improvement of Chester, south of the bridge, 
in 1850, the present Penn street was laid out by order of Court, 
August 29, 1850, and the well, so noted for its water, was in the 
course of the street. I am told that the old well, walled over, al- 
most in the middle of Penn street, exists to this day. Part of the 
site of the Boar's Head Inn having been taken by the public for a 
highway, the remaining premises belonging to the estate of Capt. 
Isaac E. Engle, who had died in 1844, while on a voyage to China, 
was conveyed December 21, 1863, by John C. Davis, trustee to sell 
the real estate, to Samuel Ulrich, for $1,363. On the lot thus pur- 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 67 

chased the latter erected the Delaware House, an 1 the property is 
still in the ownership of his heirs. 



TAe Old Eoskins {^raliam] House, 

John Simcock, of Ridley, received a patent from tlie Duke of 
York for sixteen yards, fronting upon Chester creek and running 
back into the land of Neeles Laerson, bounded on the north by 
lands of Jurian Keen, and on the south by land of Neeles Laerson. 
On the 5th day of 6th month, 1684, Simcock sold to John Hoskins, 
then spelled Hodgkins, the tract of land, and the latter in the year 
1688, built the house now standing at the south-east corner of Edg- 
mont avenue and Graham street. 

The house thus erected was used by him as an inn, and was a 
substantial structure, as is evidenced even in its present declina- 
tion by an inspection of the building. It is two stories in height, 
with attics ; the steps and porch which were located before the 
street line was definitely fixed, extend a goodly distance into the 
sidewalk. A hallway runs through the centre of the building : a 
wide, easily ascended staircase rises from the rear of the entry at 
the south side to the apartments above. The balustrade is fash- 
ioned of hard wood and is very massive, while the steps of ash, in 
many places, show marks of worms who have eaten deep grooves in 
the solid planking. The windows in the lower rooms are deeply re- 
cessed within the apartments and old-time seats constructed there- 
in. The heavy beams supporting the upper floors stand promi- 
nently out from the ceiling. In the rooms on the first and second 
floors on the north side of the house, the high old-fashioned wooden 
mantels over the large fireplaces are flanked by enormous closets, 
which are lighted by small windows in the outer walls — those in 
the southern end have been walled up — and in a closet in the room 
over the dining room to the north, when a friend and myself visited 



^8 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

the old house in September last, a bed was spread, just as nearly as 
two hundred years ago similar beds were made for the children of 
the early settlers of the Province, who stopped at the old hotel in 
1688 — the year of the Great Revolution in England. The floors 
are laid in hard wood, and the flooring boards are wide, almost the 
entire width of the trees from which they were cut. The ceilings 
are lofty for the time when the building was erected, and the house 
is divided into numerous sleeping apartments intended to accom- 
modate many guests. The steep roof externally would indicate 
that the attics were so low that they would be uncomfortable to the 
inmates, whereas the contrary is the fact. The kitchen, which is 
built in an L on the north-eastern end of the house, is large, the 
fireplace comprising almost the entire eastern end — now enclosed as 
a closet — is of that ample size usual among our ancestors, that the 
benumbed wayfarers could seat themselves at either side of the 
chimney, on benches provided for that purpose, and enjoy the 
warmth of the roaring fire of huge logs, formerly the only way em- 
ployed to heat that part of the building. In the days of its an- 
cient grandeur there was a portico or veranda in the rear of the 
main building extending ten or twelve feet outward, which was en- 
closed with lattice work, where, in the summer time the hospitable 
table was spread. An old oven, long since torn down, was attached 
to the house on the north side of the kitchen, and a well of good 
water, now abandoned, was located in the rear and at some distance 
from the portico. 

John Hoskins and Mary, his wife, were natives of Cheshire, Eng- 
land, and came to this country in the year 1682. In August, 1684, 
he purchased from John Simcock, the property whereon he after- 
wards built the house : and he had purchased 9th month, 21, 1681, 
from Penn, before leaving England, two hundred and fifty acres of 
land, which was laid out to him in Middletown township, between 
the lands of Richard Crosby and David Ogden, 4th month, 27, 1684. 
He was a member of the General Assembly which sat March 12, 
1683. His will dated 11th month, 2, 1694-5, and probated Au- 
gust 15, 1698, in Philadelphia, is signed John Hodgskins, but the 
renunciation of the Executors named therein, dated 12th of 6 mo. 
—'98, speak of him as John Hoskins. He left two children, John 
and Hannah, and* his widow, who although aged, married in 1700, 



Historic Buildings in Chester. Q% 

George Woodier, of Chester. His daughter Hannah married in 
1698, Charles Whitaker. His estate was a large one for those 
times, the appraisement amounting to j6450 12s. 2d., and the dif- 
ferent articles set forth therein, as contained in the various rooms- 
of the house wherein he died, answer to the number in the present 
Graham House. 

His son, John Hoskins, married in 1698, Ruth Atkinson, and in 
1700, when only 23 years of age, was elected Sheriff of the county, 
an office the duties of which he discharged so successfully that for 
fifteen years in succession, excepting during the year 1708, he was 
continued in that office To him the old homestead descended, and 
here he lived until his death, October 26, 1716. He was the father 
of four sons and one daughter, Mary, who married John Mather. 
One of the sons I suppose died before their mother, for in the will 
of Ruth Hoskins, dated July 3, 1739, she mentions only her sons 
Stephen and Joseph Hoskins — -although John was still living, and 
I presume had taken the estate of 250 acres patented to his grand- 
father, in Middletown township — and devised to her son-in-law, 
Mather, a house and lot. Stephen Hoskins was born in Chester, 
12 mo. 18, 1701-2, and Joseph was born in the same place, 4 mo., 
30, 1705. 

Stephen Hoskins married in 1727, Sarah Warner, of Maryland, 
and moved into that Province, but returned to Chester, 1730, 
and was elected Coroner of Chester county. About 1743, he re- 
moved to Philadelphia, and it Avas to his son John, of Burlington, 
that Joseph Hoskins, of the Porter House, devised the real estate, 
of which he died seized. To Joseph Hoskins, respecting whom I 
have more fully alluded in the notice of the Porter House, the 
old homestead descended, and he, June 4, 1762, sold the property 
to Henry Hale Graham. 

Henry Hale Graham, the son of William Graham, and grandson 
of Richard Graham, of the manor of Blackhouse, in the county of 
Cumberland, England, and nephew of George Graham, the maker 
of the noted clock at Greenwich which regulates the time of the 
world, and the discoverer of the mercurial pendulum, by which the 
differences in the temperature of the seasons is overcome, was born 
in London, July 1, 1731, and came to the Colony when an infant. 
His father first settled at Darby, but before the year 1 740 removed 



70 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

to Chester, where he died August 6, 1758. His mother, Eleanor, 
\/ a daughter of Zedemiah Wyatt, of London, who it is said by 

Mrs. Deborah Logan, in her manuscript notes to John F. Watson's 
« Visit to Chester, in 1 824," " was a woman of excellent sense, a 
gentlewoman born, and had received the best education herself in 
England. She was like a parent to my mother (Mary Parker) and 
the other young persons of that time, at Chester, who enjoyed 
greater advantages than could be found in most other places." We 
know very little of the early life of Henry Hale Graham except 
that he was a hard student and one of the best penmen in the 
county, whose peculiar but clear and beautiful chirography the re- 
cords of Delaware and Chester counties even now attest. 

In 1761, he was appointed one of the Justices of the county of 
Chester. Again in 1775 to the same office and to the like position 
in 1789. He was appointed Register, Recorder, Prothonotary, and 
Clerk of the several Courts of Chester county, in 1766, on the oc- 
casion of the death of Joseph Parker, in whose office previous to 
that time he is believed to have been employed. In the report 
made to Governor Richard Penn on the condition of the Province, 
in 1775, the compensation of the offices of Register, Recorder, &c., 
then held by Mr. Graham, is given as .£120 per annum. Henry 
Hale Graham married Abigail, daughter of Thomas and Mary Pen- 
nell, July 1, 1760. In March, 1777, Thomas Taylor was appointed 
to succeed Mr. Graham in office, but he never assumed its duties, 
and in April of the same year, Benjamin Jacob was appointed to 
the same position, but he refusing to accept it, Caleb Davis was 
therefore appointed, and on the 11th of June following was quali- 
fied for the place. On July 28, the records were still in the pos- 
session of Mr. Graham, for at that time Caleb Davis was instructed 
to '* enter the dwelling and outhouses of H. H. Graham, take pos- 
session of the books and papers of the county and remove them to 
a place of safety." In 1777, when the British frigate " Augusta " 
opened fire on the town, the family in the Graham House sought 
safety in the ceUar, and it is traditionally reported that one of the 
shots struck the building, doing considerable damage. When the 
English army marched through Chester, in 1777, they destroyed 
much property, and Mr. Graham's loss from that cause amounted 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 71 



to over j£25. He seems to have taken no active part during the 
Revolutionary war. 

In 1789, he was named, with others, one of the trustees to pur- 
chase the old public buildings at Chester, and was appointed Presi- 
dent Judge of the newly created county of Delaware ; was a mem- 
ber of the second State Constitutional Convention, that of 1790, 
and died while attending the deliberations of that body. In the 
Pennsylvania Packet, January 26, 1790, is the following item : 

"On Saturday, the 23d inst., departed this life at Philadelphia, 
after a short illness, Henry Hale Graham, Esq., in the 59th year of 
his age, President of the Courts of Common Pleas and Quarter 
Sessions for Delaware county, and one of the Delegates in Conven- 
tion for altering and amending the Constitution of the State. And 
on Tuesday morning his remains were interred in Friends' burial 
ground at Chester, attended by his family and a very large collec- 
tion of relatives and acquaintances and a committee of the Conven- 
tion." 

The estate thereupon descended to William Graham, the only son 
of Henry Hale Graham, who was born in Chester in the old house, 
in 1766. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1788, in 
which year he was married to Jane Robinson, a sister of Captain 
Thomas Robinson, who subsequently married William Graham's sis- 
ter Catharine. During the Whisky Insurrection in Western Penn- 
sylvania, in 1 794, he commanded a troop of cavalry from Delaware 
county, and while in that command his exposure brought on a dis- 
ease of the throat which affected his voice, at times, so that he 
could not speak above a whisper. This vocal difficulty became per- 
manent several years after, owing to the fact that in company with 
several gentlemen, he went gunning to Chester Island, and became 
separated from his companions. When dark came he could not be 
found, and his friends returned to Chester, determining at early 
dawn to resume their search for him. All t%at night he remained 
on the bar, and as he was short in stature, the water rose until his 
head and shoulders were alone out of the water. When rescued 
next morning his voice was entirely gone, and he never again re- 
covered it so as to be able to speak in public, and even in conver- 
sation he was often almost inaudible. He died December 19, 1821, 
and in his will, dated March 4, 1820, he devised to his wife « the 
house and lot where I now dwell, with all the outhouses and appur- 
tenances for and during the term of her natural life, this devise to 



72 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

include all the land in the square on which the house now stands as 
I now occupy the same," with remainder to his four sisters. 

Jane Graham, the widow, lived in the old dwelling for a year or 
so after the death of her husband, when she removed to Philadel- 
phia, and the house was leased to Dr. William Gray, who, then re- 
cently married, resided there for several years. He was followed 
by Samuel Smith, and in time by Mrs. Sarah P. Combe, one of the 
heirs of the estate of William Graham, until the death of Jane 
Graham, the widow, December 10, 1855, after which the estate was 
sold by order of Court, and the old house and lot was conveyed 
April 9. 1857, to John G. Dyer, whose heirs still own it. After 
the premises passed into the ownership of Mr. Dyer, the house was 
occupied by Mrs. Darlington, and subsequently by Col. W. C. Gray 
until within the last ten years, since which time the old dwelling 
has had numerous tenants, and is now occupied by W. T. Jenkins 
as a restaurant. 

There is an mdistinct tradition that early in the last century 
when John Hoskins, the younger, was Sheriff, and resided in this 
house, he arrested a person of some prominence, and took him to 
his own dwelling for safe keeping, rather than place him in the 
common jail. It is stated that in the night-time, when it was very 
dark, the prisoner came out from his room, opened the back win- 
dow at the stair landing, in the second story, and jumped from the 
window on the inclosed portico beneath. The distance was not 
very great, but he slipped on the roof and fell to the ground be- 
low, sustaining such injuries that he died in a few minutes there- 
after. This is the vague story of a century and a half ago which 
has descended to us, and it is impossible at this late day to furnish 
fuller particulars of the event, or in fact to declare with absolute 
certainty whether there is any truth in the narrative whatever. 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 73 



The Logan, Bouse. 

This dwelling was built by Jasper Yeates, in the year 1700, on 
ground purchased fi-om David Lloyd, December 11, 1699, and for- 
merly a stone on which was cut the initials " J. & C. Y." with the 
date 1700 underneath, similar in appearance to the date stone of 
the old Porter House, was set in one of the gables. These initials 
stood for the names Jasper and Catharine Yeates. The ancient 
structure was massively built of brick, which material is frequently 
said to have been brought from Europe, a statement which is not 
worthy of much consideration, since we know that at the time the 
house was erected, several brickyards were in operation on the 
Delaware, in Philadelphia, and at Burlington, New Jersey, and 
freights were active to the Colonies, so that it is not to be supposed 
that the owners of vessels would ship such heavy and bulky mate- 
rials to the exclusion of lighter and better paying freights, particu- 
larly when the latter was seeking transportation. It was two sto- 
ries in height, with a tent-like roof forming an attic within, with 
steep sides. Over the first-story windows was a pent roof, similar 
to that remaining on the old City Hall, and a porch at the front 
door, with seals at each side of the door, at right angles to the 
building. A wide doorway gave access to the spacious hall, many 
small diamond-shaped panes of glass set in lead, in the large win- 
dow sashes, gave light to the several apartments, and casements at 
the head of the stair landing furnished the same to the wainscoted 
hallway. All the rooms were wainscoted also, and the panels were 
painted or stained in imitation of mahogany. Large closets were 
on each side of the wide chimney places, lighted by windows in the 
outer walls. Under the high wooden mantel pieces in the parlor 
and the room opposite, across the hall, the fireplaces were lined 
with illuminated tiles, delineating incidents of Scriptural history. 
Large buttresses were built against the gables for stength, and 
smaller ones to guard the brick walls on each side of the main 
building. These buttresses were subsequently removed. 

An incident connected with this old house has descended to us 
through more than a century and a half of years. The winter of 
1 740-1 was memorable for its extremely cold weather. It is rela- 



74 Hisiorwal Sketch, of Chester. 

ted by Mrs. Deborah Logan, whose ancestors at that time resided 
in the ancient mansion house, that one night an old man-servant, a 
constant smoker, rose from his bed and went to the kitchen to light 
his pipe. Angry growlings by the watch-dog caused him to look 
out of the window. The moon was up, but partly obscured by 
clouds, and by that light the old man saw an animal which he took 
for " a big black calf" in the yard. He thereupon drove the crea- 
ture out of the enclosure, when it turned and looked at him, and 
he then learned that it was a black bear. The beast, it is sup- 
posed, had been in some way aroused from its winter torpor, and 
had sought shelter from the cold, which may account for its appa- 
rent docility. The next morning it was killed in a wood about half 
a mile distant from the Logan House. 

Jasper Yeates, of Philadelphia, a native of Yorkshire, England, 
married Catharine, daughter of James Sandilands, the elder, and 
in 1697, puixhased mills and a tract of ground at the mouth of 
Naaman's creek. The next year he built a goodly sized structure 
between Chester creek and Edgmont avenue, for a granary or store- 
house for grain on the second floor, and established a bakery in the 
lower room. It should be recollected that two hundred years ago, 
Chester creek, at that point, was considerably to the westward of 
the present stream. He was a prominent man of his day. He 
was appointed by Penn, when the Proprietary created the Borough 
of Chester, October 13, 1701, one of its four Burgesses. In 1703, 
he was chosen Chief Burgess of the Borough, and is believed to 
have been the first person holding that office. He was one of the 
Justices of Chester county, afterwards one of the Justices of the 
Supreme Court of the Province ; a member of the Provincial Coun- 
cil and a member of the General Assembly. He and his brother- 
in-law, James Sandilands, the younger, were the principal promo- 
ters of the building of St. Paul's church. He died previously to 
May 2, 1720, for his will was probated at New Castle, Del., at the 
date last given. He left six children surviving him, four sons and 
two daughters. 

John Yeates, the third son of Jasper and Catharine Yeates, was 
born at Chester, March 1, 1705. He inherited from his father the 
"dwelling house" at Chester, with the « boulting " wharf, gar- 
dens and lots near the same town, " bought of Jonas Sandilands 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 75 

and Edward Henneston." He was a shipping merchant, and resid- 
ed for a time in the islands of Barbadoes, and afterwards in Phila- 
delphia, where he acquired considerable real estate. Later in life 
he sustained large pecuniary losses in business ventures, and through 
the influence of friends, in 1 764 was appointed Comptroller of Cus- 
toms, at Pocomoke, Maryland. He died there the following year. 
Under date of September 4, 1733, John Yeates and Elizabeth (Sid- 
botham,) his wife, conveyed the mansion house and lot, of which I 
am speaking, to Joseph Parner, as well as other lands in Chester. 

Joseph Parker was a nephew of the noted and eccentric Quaker 
preacher, John Salkeld. He was a native of (Cumberland, P^ngland, 
and in 1714, at the age of twenty-five, came to the Province and 
settled at Chester, to be near his uncle. He entered the office of 
David Lloyd, and after Lloyd's death, he succeeded him as Regis- 
ter and Recorder of Chester county. In 1724 he was Prothonotary 
of the Courts, and in 17-38 he was commissioned a Justice of the 
Peace, a position of much dignity in Colonial days. In 1730, he 
married Mary, daughter of James Ladd, of Gloucester county. New 
Jersey. His wife died the following year, leaving one child, a 
daughter, Mary. Joseph Parker died May 21, 1766. 

Mary Parker, born April 21, 1731, at Chester, to whom the Lo- 
gan House descended, was married to Charles Norris, of Philadel- 
phia, in the old Quaker Meeting House, on Market street, 6th mo., 
21, 1759. Her husband died January 15, 1766, and she returned 
to Chester and resided in the parental mansion until her death, 
December 4, 1799. She was the mother of three sons and one 
daughter, Deborah, to whom by will, she devised the Logan House. 

Deborah Norris was born in Philadelphia, October 19, 1761, and 
was a small child when her widowed mother returned to Chester. 
She was married to Dr. George Logan, a grandson of James Logan, 
Penn's Secretary and intimate personal friend, September 6, 1781, 
and went to reside at the Logan family seat, Stenton, until her 
death, February 2, 1839. Deborah Logan was a woman of much 
literary ability, and a historian of great attainments. Indeed her 
remarkable store of antiquarian information justly entitled her to 
the appellation of " The Female Historian of the Colonial Times." 
She had mingled freely with the leading spirits of the Revolution- 
ary period, and her cousin, Charles Thomson, the first and long con- 



76 Historical Skdch of Chester. 

fidential Secretary of the Continental Congress, was through life anp 
intimate visitor at her house, and from him she learned much of 
the inner history of those times. In 1814, Mrs Logan came to the 
conclusion that the correspondence of William Penn and James- 
Logan contained much valuable information respecting the early 
history of the Commonwealth, and she began the task of coUatingy 
deciphering and copying the manuscripts in her possession, many 
of the documents being much decayed and difficult to read; but she 
industriously set herself to work, rising in the winter time before 
sunrise and at daylight in the summer, for a period of several years. 
Her manuscripts made eleven large quarto volumes, and formed 
two clever sized octavo volumes, when published by the Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania. John F. Watson, the annalist, obtained 
many of the interesting items in his popular work, from Mrs Lo- 
gan. During her ownership of the Logan House, she rented it to 
Miss Eliza Finch, who kept a school there for several years, which 
was well attended. Deborah Logatt left four sons, to the eldest of 
whom, Dr. xllbanus C. Logan, she devised by will, the old mansion 
on Second street. March 25, 1842y he conveyed it to Samuel Ul- 
rich, the property having been in the ownership of his family one 
hundred and nine years. Samuel Ulrich in turn conveyed the pro- 
perty to Hon. John M. Broomall. Mr. Broomall never resided in 
the old Logan House, but sold the property to Mrs. Rebecca Ross 
— wife of Captain Richard Ross, deceased — who still owns it. 

An important incident somewhat connected with this ancient 
dwelling, is the fact that the original records of the Upland Court, 
which have since been published, by the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania, and are of such importance to the student of our early 
annals, were found hj Deborah Logan, in an old bookcase, which 
had formerly belonged to her grandfather, Joseph Parker, and 
which had stood for many years in the Logan House, until it was 
removed to Stenton. The existence of the document was unknown 
almost for a century, until accidentally discovered in a secret 
drawer in this old bookcase. 



Historic. Buildings in Chester. 11 



The Citjr Hotel. 

On the 10th of December, 1700, James Sandilands, the younger, 
conveyed the land on the northwest corner of Third street and Edg- 
mont avenue, on which this building was afterwards erected, to 
David Roberts, and on May 26, 1714, Jonas Sandilands, the brother 
of James, and Mary, his wife, confirmed the tract of ground to Ro- 
berts reserving, however, a yearly ground rent of three shillings to 
his heirs. I believe the building was erected by David Roberts 
shortly after his purchase from James Sandilands. However that 
may be, it was certainly built before 1723, for in a deed from David 
Roberts and Susanna, his wife, to Ruth Hoskins, widow of Sheriff 
John Hoskins, dated the 19th and 20th days of August of that 
year, the structure is mentioned and described in the indenture. 
The hotel at that time was kept by Aubrey Bevan, and designated 
as the " Pennsylvania Arms," for in the will of Ruth Hoskins, da- 
ted July 3, 1739, she devised the premises to her granddaughter, 
Ruth Mather, daughter of John and Mary (Hoskins) Mather, as 
" the house and lot where Aubrey Bevan now lives and commonly 
known by the name of Pennsylvania Arms." There appears to be 
some contradiction in the record, for by lease and release dated 
March 5 and 6, 1738, Ruth Hoskins conveyed the property to her 
son-in-law, John Mather. He was a prominent citizen, a Justice 
of the Peace — an important dignitary in those days — and at the 
expiration of Bevan's term became the landlord of the house. 
Bevan thereupon purchased the ground on Market street, and built 
the Washington House. 

Mary Hoskins, who had married John Mather, was a most admi- 
rable wife and mother. Her careful training of her daughters is 
evidenced by the fact that both of them became the wives of dis- 
tinguished men, and are alluded to by writers of acknowledged po- 
sition on several occasions, for their personal excellence and woman- 
ly worth. 

Ruth Mather, to whom the property was devised by her grand- 
mother, married Charles Thomson, one of the most noted men in 
our national annals. He was a native of Ireland, and during all 
the diflSculties with the mother country was an ardent Whig, He 



78 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

was the first Secretary of the Continental Congress of 1774, and 
continued in that office during the long struggle of the Revolution. 
It was he who first read the Declaration of Independence to the 
people from the steps of the old hall wherein that document was 
signed. In recognition of the faithful discharge of his duties, he 
was chosen to bear to Washington the intelligence of the latter's 
nomination to the Presidency of the United States. Of him, John 
Adams, in his diary writes : " Charles Thomson is the Sam. Adams 
of Philadelphia, the life of the cause of liberty." He retired from 
public office and during his latter days translated the Septuagint, 
which was published in four volumes, in 1808. He died in Lower 
Merion, Montgomery county, in 1824, in his ninety-fifth year. 

Ruth Thomson died without children surviving her, and by the 
will of John Mather, May 28, 1768, he devised the premises to his 
daughter, Ruth, and his son-in-law, Charles Jackson : and in the 
event of the death of Ruth, without children, then to his grand- 
daughter, Mary Jackson. He mentions the tenancy of Valentine 
Weaver, and named his daughters, Jane Jackson and Ruth Thom- 
son, as his executors. Jane alone took out letters testamentary. 
Charles Thomson, after the death of Ruth, his wife, without child- 
ren, March 5, 1785, released to Mary Jackson all his right and title 
in the premises, and Mary Jackson, March 5, 1785, conveyed the 
estate to John Harper, who was then in occupancy of the hotel. 

Tradition tells us that so extreme was his opposition to the pro- 
posed removal of the county seat to West Chester, that he collected 
and commanded the armed force which marched from Chester to 
demolish the partly-built Court House and Jail at the Turk's Head, 
during the summer of 1785. The author of " Lament over Ches- 
ter's Mother," refers to Major John Harper thus : 

Cries little Jack, the youngest son, 

Who just began to crawl — 
" If mamma lives, I soon shall run; 

If not, I soon shall fall. 

" Oh ! may Jack Hannum quickly die — 

And die in grievous pain — 
Be sent into eternity 

That mamma may remain. 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 79 



"May all his projects fall, likewise— 

That we may live again !" 
Then every one rolled up his eyes, 

And cried aloud, " Amen !" 

After the county seat was removed to West Chester, Major Har- 
per, believing that the sun of Chester's prosperity had set, never 
to rise again, emigrated to the new local capitol, and became the 
landlord of the Turk's Head Hotel there. That old tavern, which 
displayed the head of the Grand Turk on its sign, from which it 
took its name, continued to be a public house until 1854, when it 
was enlarged and used as a seminary for young ladies. At the 
present time it is used as a hotel as of yore 

Harper having made default in the payment of the mortgage on 
the property, suit was brought by the executor of Mary Jackson 
deceased, and on August 1 , 1 788, Ezekiel Leonard, Sheriff, deeded 
the property to her executor. Dr. David Jackson, of Philadelphia. 
Who was the landlord of the old house at this time I have not 
learned, but Dr. Jackson and Susanna, his wife, conveyed the pro- 
perty by deed, dated January 14, 1793, to Matthias Kerlin, Jr., of 
Trenton, New Jersey. 

Matthias Kerlin, Jr., was the brother of William Kerlin, the 
owner and host of the Washington House, and subsequently re- 
turned to Delaware county to reside. He seems to have retired 
from business at the date of Jackson's deed to him, for he is desig- 
nated as " gentleman," meaning one living on the income from in- 
vestments. March 30, 1793, Matthias Kerlin, Jr., and Sarah, his 
wife, conveyed the property to William Pierce, of Lower Chiches- 
ter, gentleman. Pierce had married Mary, the then widow of John 
Dennis, by whom she had a daughter, Hannah Dennis, and in order 
to provide for her and to contribute to the education and maintain- 
ance of Hannah Dennis, etc.. Pierce and his wife made a deed, 
August 13, 1793, in trust to Eliphaz Daizey and Matthias Kerlin, 
Jr., for the purpose therein stated, but, by deed of revocation, da- 
ted December 16, 1797, the trusts were declared null and void. 
William Pierce died previously to March 1799, for his widow Mary 
executed a mortgage on the property at that time, and recites that 
in his will, dated August 9, 1798, he had devised the estate to her. 
Mary Pierce a third time entered into the marriage relation, for on 



80 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

the 27th day of February, 1802, David Coats, of Philadelphia, and 
Mary, his wife — late Mary Pierce, she being the late widow and the 
sole devisee and executrix named in the last will of William Pierce 
— conveyed the premises to Abraham See, of Saint George's Hun- 
dred, Delaware, and he in turn, March 22, 1803, sold the property 
to Edward Engle, who kept the hotel until he died — about 1810 — 
and his vi^idow, Mary Engle, continued the business until the years 
1832 or 1833, when she retired and leased the premises to John J. 
Thurlow. The ancient hostelry under Mrs. Engle's supervision was 
the fashionable and popular hotel of the Borough. In 1824, when 
Gren, Lafayette was the guest of Chester, the First City Troop, of 
Philadelphia, was quartered at her house, then known as the Eagle 
Tavern ; for in a description of a journey from old Ireland to 
Chester, written in verse by Philip Sexton, who lived at Squire 
Eyre's, on Edgmont avenue, during the early part of this century, 
he refered to this hotel thus : 

" If you stand on the bridge 

And look to the east, 
You'll there see an eagle, 

As big as a beast. 

Call at this tavern, 

Without any dread ; 
You'll there get chicken, 

Good mutton and bread." 

"~ Mrs. Engle was the mother of the late Rear Admiral Frederick 
Engle, who died in 1866, and of Capt Isaac E. Engle, of the Mer- 
chant Service, who died in 1844. Her daughter Mary married the 
late Hon. Samuel Edwards, a member of the bar and representa- 
tive in Congress from this district, from 1819-21, and again from 
1825-27, who died, leaving surviving him, his son, Henry B. Ed- 
wards, Esq., a member of the bar, and at this writing a leading- 
citizen of Chester, and a daughter, Mary Engle Edwards, who in- 
termarried with Edward Fitzgerald Beale, at that time Lieutenant 
in the Navy, and noted for his celebrated ride across Mexico with 
dispatches from Commodore Stockton, during our war with that 
country, and subsequently prominent before the nation as Superin- 
tendent of Indian Affairs, and in exploring expeditions, construct- 
ing public highways, and in surveys for projected railroads. In 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 81 

1860, he was appointed Surveyor General of California, and under 
General Grant's second administration he was United States Min- 
ister to Austria. Gen. Beale is one of the largest land owners in 
the world, his estate in California comprising two hundred thousand 
acres of land. 

Mary Engle's other daughter, Abby, married John Kerlin, Esq.,. 
a member of the Delaware county bar, and for many years Presi- 
dent of the Bank of Delaware County. Mrs. Kerlin now resides 
with her nephew, H. B. Edwards, Esq., in this city. Her son, 
Frederick E. Kerlin, died in California over twenty odd years ago, 
and Capt. Charles Kerlin, a well-known merchant captain, now re- 
tired from service, lives in New Jersey. 

Mrs. Engle was succeeded in business by John J. Thurlow, about 
1833, and I quote from Martin's History of Chester, the following 
graphic description of the old hotel in its palmiest days as a stop- 
ping place for one of the lines of stages that then passed through 
Chester for Baltimore, Washington and the South. He says : 

" How well I remember ' Thurlow's,' in the days of its busy 
greatness ; well I remember how, when I was a boy, I lingered near 
its hospitable doors to see the handsome horses of the Reeside, 
Stockton k Stokes, Murdeck & Sharp^ and Janvier's rival lines of 
stage coaches changed ; the smoking steeds detached by active host- 
lers, and the new relay of well-groomed horses substituted, and saw 
the ' Stage driver,' an important man in those days, with his great 
coat of many capes and long whip ; the well dressed travelers 
sauntering about talking and smoking after their meal, waiting for . 
the stage. Oft I have peeped into the small, clean bar-room, in 
the centre of which stood a large coal stove (in winter) in a large 
sand box, that served as a huge spittoon. In one corner of the 
room stood a semi-circular bar, with its red railings reaching to the 
ceiling, into whose diminutive precincts the jolly landlady could 
scarcely get her buxom person, while her husbaiid with his velvet- 
een shooting coat, with its large buttons and its many pockets, ex- 
cited my intense admiration. At his heels there were always two 
or three handsome setter dogs, of the finest breed and well trained. 
Sometimes I got a glimpse of the south-west room. This was the 
parlor ; back of it was a room where travelers wrote their letters ; 
and back of the bar was a cozy little room, mine hostess' sanctum, 
into which only special friends were admitted. All these are now 
one large American bar-room. 

" In reading accounts of the old English inns of coaching days, 
my mind involuntarily reverts to ' Thurlow's,' for there on the walls 
were hanging the quaint old coaching and hunting prints imported 



82 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



from England, and around the house was ' Boots,' and the ' Host- 
ler,' and the 'pretty waiting maid with rosy cheeks,' all from Old 
England. The horses are all hitched, the passengers are < all 
aboard,' the driver has taken his seat, (the guard is blowing his 
horn, having taken one inside,) is gathering up his many reins ; now 
he feels for his whip, flourishes it over his four-in-hand, making a 
graceful curve with its lash, taking care not to touch his horses ; 
but does it with a report like a rifle shot, the hostlers jump aside, 
and with a bound and a rush, the coach is off for Washington, or 
Philadelphia, carrying perchance within it Clay, Webster or Cal- 
houn. And of a winter's evening when I have stolen out from 
home, I have passed the 'Tavern,' and seen seated around its 
cheerful fire the magnates of the town, telling stories of other days 
(as I now could tell their names.) And sometimes peeping through 
the green blinds, I have seen a quiet game of whist going on ; per- 
haps it was ' all fours,' or else a game of checkers or dominoes." 

Mr. Thurlow retired from business about 1840, and was succeed- 
ed by Maurice W. Deshong, who kept the house for a few years 
and was followed by Major Samuel A. Price, who continued the 
business until about 1853, when the late George Wilson became its 
host. After a few years Mr. Wilson retired, and was in turn suc- 
ceeded by Lewis A. Sweetwood. The death of Mrs. Mary Engle, 
in 1870, at the advanced age of 94 years, compelled a sale of the 
hotel and other property, by order of Orphans' Court, to settle her 
estate, and in that year William Ward, as trustee to make the sale, 
conveyed the hotel property to Jonathan Pennell, who in turn, the 
same year, sold the premises to Paul Klotz, the present owner, who 
has made important additions and improvements to the eastern end 
of the ancient building. 



Tlie Washington House. 

The title to the ancient hostelry on Market street, known for al- 
most a century to the denizens of Chester as the Washington 
Hotel, extends back to the Proprietary, for by patent dated May 



Historic Buildings in Chester, 83 

31, 1686, the commissioners of William Penn conveyed to James 
Sandelands, in fee, twenty acres of land in Chester, and on a part 
of this tract the hotel buildings were subsequently erected. This 
property descended to Jonas Sandelands, in the distribution of his 
father's estate, and was by him sold to John Wright, in 1720, on 
ground rent, for four shillings lawful money of America, payable 
on the twenty-fifth day of March of each and every year thereafter, 
forever. Wright, after holding the premises for seven years, con- 
veyed the land to William Pennell, who in turn sold it to James 
Trego The latter died seized of the property, and in 1746 his son 
James — to whom it had been allotted in proceedings in partition, 
his mother Elizabeth joining in the deed — conveyed the property 
to Aubury Bevan. The plot of ground up to this date is believed 
to have been used as a pasture lot. In the following year Aubury 
Bevan erected the present hotel building and gave it the title 
" Pennsylvania Arms," as will be seen by an inspection of his will. 
He was an active and leading citizen of Chester, and the structure, 
considering the time wdien it was built, evidences fully the progres- 
sive spirit which controlled his efforts. Aubury Bevan died in 
1761, and by will devised this property to his daughter Mary; she, 
together with her husband, William Forbes, by deed dated April 
1, 1772, conveyed the estate to William Kerlin, a wealthy man, as 
wealth was then regarded, and a fervent Whig during the Revolu- 
tionary struggle 

After the evacuation of Philadelphia by the British army, Ker- 
lin named his hostelry " The Washington House," a name it has 
been continually known by to this day. General Washington often 
in passing through Chester on his way to and from Mount Vernon 
to the seat of government in New York and Philadelphia, stopped 
at this hotel, and on those occasions a certain room, the best in the 
house, was assigned to his use. The ancient mahogany chairs 
which stood in the room occupied by the first President, during 
these visits, are still preserved among the descendants of William 
Kerlin. He took an active part in the discussion from 1780 to 
1786, as to the removal of the county seat to West Chester, and in 
a doggerel rhyme of that time, entitled " Lament over Chester's 
Mother," written by Joseph Hickman, an earnest removalist, Ker- 
lin is thus referred to : 



■84 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

" And then poor helpless Billy cries — 

' Oh, how shall I be fed? 
What shall I do if mamma dies? 

I cannot work for bread. 

These little hands have never wrough\ 

Oh, how I am oppressed! 
For I have never yet done aught, 

But hang on mamma's breast.' " 

After the county seat had been finally removed from Chester, he 
labored energetically to bring about the formation of the present 
county of Delaware. Kerlin, having purchased the old Court 
House, Jail and public buildings in this city in 1786, for j£415, 
after the division was made he sold them to Delaware county at a 
slight advance. He did not remain, however, mine host of the 
Washington House until his death, for by his will, proved April 29, 
1805, he alluded — in his devise to his daughter, Sarah Piper — to 
" the tavern house " being at that time " in the tenure of Isaac 
Tucker." 

Major Joseph Piper, who held a position in the Philadelphia 
Custom House, under General Steele, the then collector, after the 
death of his father-in-law, resigned his office, removed to Chester 
and kept the Washington House, owned by his wife, until his death 
in 1827. By tradition. Piper is said to have been a Revolutionary 
soldier, but as he was only 50 years of age when he died, it is not 
a supposable case that he could have taken any part in that memo- 
rable war. It is related that Major Piper, being in Chester, saw 
Sarah Odenheimer — formerly Sarah Kerlin — a well-formed, bloom- 
ing" widow, on horseback, and was so impressed with her appear- 
ance that he wooed, won and wed her for his wife. After his death 
his widow continued the business at the hotel for several years, but 
ultimately becoming weary of it she leased the premises to Evan S. 
Way, who had formerly kept a tavern in Nether Providence. He 
was a conspicuous man in the military affairs of the county a half 
century ago ; an officer in the Delaware county troop, and kept 
the hotel imtil he was elected Sheriff, in 1837. The house was then 
rented to Major Samuel A. Price, who was an influential citizen of 
Chester, having formerly been in the hat business in the ancient 
Borough. He was a genial gentleman, who is yet remembered by 
many of our old residents; an earnest politician, and in 1834 was 



Historic Buildivgs in Chester. 85 

elected Sheriff of the county. In early life he was noted for his 
manly beauty. An interesting item respecting the old hostelry 
during Major Price's occupancy, was related in The Delaware Coun- 
ty Advocate.) several years ago. The article stated that General 
Harrison, in 1840, after he had received the Whig nomination for 
the Presidency, was returning from Washington, accompanied by 
a number of gentlemen from New York, stopped for dinner at the 
Washington House, and while there received the congratulations 
of the citizens of Chester. After dinner had been served, the 
cloth was drawn, wine, as usual on such occasions, was placed on 
the table, and several toasts were drunk. It was observed that 
Harrison drank water, and being thereupon pressed to take wine, 
he rose and said : 

" Gentlemen, I have refused twice to partake of the wine cup, 
that should have been sufficient : though you press the cup to my 
lips not a drop shall pass their portals. I made a resolve when I 
started in life that I would avoid strong drink, anl I hive never 
broken it. I am one of a class of seventeen young men who gradu- 
ated, and the other sixteen fill drunkard's graves, all through the 
habit of social wine drinkiiig. I owe all my health, happiness d,nd 
prosperity to that resolution. Will you urge me now ?" 

The circumstance and remarks made by Harrison were related 
by one of the gentlemen present nearly forty years afterwards, 
hence the language used on that occasion may not be accurately re- 
ported, although the substance is doubtless correctly rendered. 

Sarah Piper, by her will, proved September 13, 1841, directed 
that " the tavern house and thereto belonging, be sold within one 
year after my decease." In compliance with that request, although 
there was a longer interval than one year, her executors sold, April 
2, 1844, the premises to Henry L. Powell, who in turn, October 11, 
of the same year, conveyed it to Edward E. Flavill. Mr. Flavill 
conducted the hotel as a temperance house, and Samuel West, an 
earnest temperance advocate, employed Edward Hicks, a Quaker 
artist, to paint a swinging sign — one side presenting a delineation 
of Penn's Landing at Chester, and the other Penn's treaty (?) with 
the Indians, which he presented to the landlord. This old sign is 
still in good preservation and owned by the present proprietor of 
the Washington House, Henry Abbott. The business proving unre- 
munerative, Flavill sold the property to Thomas Clyde, January 1, 
1849. Mr. Clyde had formerly kept an extensive country store at the 



S6 Hi}^torical Sketch of Chester. 

north-east corner of Market Square, the building now owned and 
occupied by John C Williams and the eating house of Mr. Dixon 
adjoining, havine been erected by him for his dwelling and store. 
He was also largely interested in quarries on Ridley creek. Mr. 
Clyde continued the hotel as a temperance house with indifferent 
succes for over nine years, when he conveyed the property, April 
12, 1856, to John G. Dyer. Mr. Dyer had formerly been a clerk 
in the store of the late Joshua P. Eyre, and subsequently had 
carried on the dry goods and grocery business in Philadelphia, 
Chester and Rockdale, was Custom officer at the Lazaretto and was 
connected with the late James Campbell, in the manufacture of 
cotton goods at Leiperville. He Avas a man of fine conversational 
powers, possessing a ready, copious vocabulary and pleasing address, 
which particulary fitted him for the business of keeping a hotel. 
He died October 26, 1881. In 1868, John G Dyer conveyed the 
estate to Samuel A. Dyer, and he, June 1, 18X1, sold it to Henry 
Abbott, who still owns the property and is the popular host of the 
Washington House at this time. Both of these gentlemen are well 
known, active and influential citizens of Chester. 

The ground rent spoken of herein, created by Jonas Sandelands, 
in his deed to John Wright, January 21, 1720, has been fully dis- 
charged and extinguished of record. 



The Columbia House. 

The land on which this ancient building stands, was included In 
the patent dated May 31, 1686, whereby the commissioners of Wil- 
liam Penn conveyed to James Sandelands, the elder, in fee, twenty 
acres of ground in Chester, and is a part of the same tract on 
which the Washington House was built. The land descended to 
Jonas Sandilands in the distribution of his father's estate. Jonas 
Sandelands died subsequent to 1721, for at that time he held the 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 87 

office of Coroner of Chester county, and his widow, Mary, married 
before 1731 Arthur Shields. August 31, 1732, Arthur Shields and 
Mary, his wife, the administrators of Jonas Sandleands' estate, 
conveyed a tract of land containing over two acres to William 
Trehorn, subject to a yearly ground rent of five shillings, to be 
paid to the heirs of Jonas Sandelands. Trehorn and Catharine, his 
wife, sold the land, November 14, 1733, to Richard Barry, who 
built the present building previous to December 7, 1736, and lived 
therein, for at the last mentioned date he mortgaged the premises, 
and it is stated in that instrument that he had " erected a new brick 
messuage upon the lot." Barry, who kept the house as a tavern, 
conveyed the estate to John Hanley, who had in the meanwhile 
married the widow of William Trehorn She died previous to 1764, 
and Hanley married again, for September 13, of that year, he and 
Eleanor, his wife, transferred the hotel to James Coultas. The lat- 
ter and wife conveyed it, August 6, 1766, to George Gray, in trust, 
and he sold it to George Harkins, subject to a mortgage of j£250 
given to Henry Hale Graham, but no deed was made to Harkins, 
and he, seeming to be in possession, the premises were taken in exe- 
cution as his property and sold by Jesse Maris, Sheriff, November 
6, 1769, to Robert Moore, subject to the mortgage above mentioned, 
and j£255 due the estate of James Coultas, deceased. Robert 
Moore endorsed, April 28, 1770, on the back of the Sheriff's deed, 
that he conveyed the premises to Nicholas Barnard, who on paying 
^£250 due Coultas' estate, to George Gray, the latter, May 5, 1770, 
made a deed to Barnard, subject to the mortgage held by Graham. 
Mary Withy, the widow of James Withy, an English officer, and 
a pensioner of the British government for j£60 per annum, pur- 
chased the hotel, July 18, 1771, and during the time she was host- 
ess it was reported to be the best kept tavern in America, and as 
such is frequently referred to in publications of that day. This 
reputation brought to her house numbers of prominent personages 
when journeying between the seat of Government and points south 
of Chester. She appears to have realized a snug fortune and must 
have contemplated the abandonment of the business several years 
before she actually retired from it, for during the late decade of 
the eighteenth century, she purchased the Lamokin farm — now 
belonging to the estate of Abram R. Perkins, deceased — and made 



88 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

the eastern addition to the old house. Her son, Samuel, maintained 
the most aristocratic notions, and became very unpopular with the 
mechanics and workmen by declaring that people in their condition 
should be restricted from dressing in the same fabrics as used by 
their more pecuniarily fortunate neighbors, so that the wealthy and 
the laboring citizens could be designated by their apparel. 

When Lafayette was wounded at the battle of Brandywine, he was 
brought to Chester, and his wounds dressed by Mary (Gorman) 
Lyons. In a letter written by the late Joseph Weaver, Jr., at one 
time Sheriff of the county, dated April 3, 1843, and addressed to 
Hon. Calvin Blythe, he states that it was at Mrs. Withy's tavern, 
{now the Columbia House,) where the wound was cared for. Mr. 
John C. Beatty, however, locates the incident as having happened 
in the old Barber House, an account of which will be found else- 
where On September 1, 1796, Mary Withy sold the premises to 
Major William Anderson, who at the date of his purchase had been 
landlord of the hotel for some time, for it is stated that he had 
built a frame summer house and an ice house, while the property 
was in his possession as tenant. 

Mfjor William Anderson was a native of Virginia, who when only 
fiften years of age, had joined the Continental army, serving therein 
five years, and was present at the siege of Yorktown and the sur- 
render of Lord Cornwallis. He married Elizabeth Dixon, whose 
personal appearance in early womanhood was so attractive that she 
and her two sisters were termed "the three beauties of Virginia." 
The precise time when Anderson came to Chester I have failed to 
learn, but I presume shortly after the close of the war. While 
keeping the hotel he is said to have been elected to Congress, an as- 
sertion I much doubt, notwithstanding the late John K. Zeilin — in 
an obituary of Mr. Anderson, published by him in the Upland Union, 
December 22, 1829 — says that he was a member of that body, and 
Martin, in his History of Chester, states that he served eighteen 
years as representative from this district. The name of William 
Anderson does not appear in the list of members of Congress of 
Pennsylvania, extending back to 1789, as officially published in 
" Smull's Hand Book." In 1808, he built the old Anderson man- 
sion on Welsh street, but still kept the hotel for Richard S. Smith, 
in an interesting sketch of a ride from Philadelphia to New Castle, 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 89 



in the year 1808, published in Martin's History of Chester, says : 
" I got to Chester about one o'clock, A. M., and stopped at the 
tavern kept by iMajor Anderson, and got my horse fed. The hotel 
dinner was over, but the Major asked me to dine with his family. At 
the table I noticed quite a handsome young lady, who read a novel 
all the time we were at dinner. She was the Major's daughter, 
and afterwards became the wife of the celebrated Commodore David 
Porter." 

Major Anderson was, however, Associate Judge of the Courts of 
Delaware county, and at the time of his death, December 15, 1829, 
he held a position in the Custom House in Philadelphia. March 
2, 1814, he sold the hotel to Nimrod Maxwell, of Huntingdon, who 
carried on the business there for several years, when he leased the 
house to John J. Thurlow, (now a hale and hearty octogenarian, 
who possesses a rich fund of recollection of the history of Chester 
and its- former residents) who kept it until 1830, when he removed 
to the National Hotel, at Edgmont avenue and Third street. Max- 
well having died insolvent, suit was brought against his executors, 
and April 12, 1830, Jehu Broomall, Sheriff, sold the estate to the 
Delaware County Bank, Avhich corporation held the title for several 
years, during which time Samuel Lamplugh was landlord. March 
13, 1833, the Bank sold the property to Thomas Ewing, and Eliza, 
his Avife. During the latter ownership, the hotel was kept by Jolm 
Richards, the late Prothonotary, and he was succeeded by Frank 
Lloyd, who, still living near Dai'by, loves to recount the pranks and 
sports of the olden time, when woe awaited a stranger at the hands 
of the madcap roytserers of the ancient Borough. Thomas Ewing 
and wife conveyed the estate, January 17, 1839, to Captain Elisha 
S. Howes. He was a veritable " salt," who had earned his title as 
master of merchant ships, and he kept it for several years, until 
he relinquished it to embark in the grocery business, and March 
27, 1848, sold it to James Campbell, who, after making extensive 
repairs to the building, conveyed it, March 13, 1854, to John Har- 
rison Hill, who had kept the tavern at Leiperville. The property 
being sold by the Sheriff, was purchased May 27, 1856, by Mark 
B. Hannum, who conveyed it, April 1, 1857, to Mrs. Elizabeth 
Appleby, who now owns it. Under the able management of the 
present landlord, Thomas Appleby, the old hostelry has in a mea- 
sure regained its prestige of nearly a century ago. 



90 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

It might be interesting to some of our readers to mention, that 
tradition states that one of tlie owners of the old building, in early 
times, had an inmate of his family, who was a violent maniac, and 
at that time, as there was no place for the detention of persons 
thus afflicted, he was compelled to keep the lunatic in his own 
house. To prevent his escaping, and to render it impossible for 
him to reach the windows, a large and strong iron ring was placed 
in the floor of one of the upper rooms, and to this ring the de- 
ranged person Avas made fast by a heavy chain or rope, and for 
many years was kept confined in that apartment. Madame Rumor, 
as is often the case, may have located the incidents in the wrong 
place. T do not vouch for its trutli. 



Tlie Steamboat Hotel. 

Grace Lloyd, by her will, dated the 6th day of fourth month, 
1760, devised unto her cousin, Francis Richardson, of Philadelphia, 
after certain specific devises of lands and bequests of personal pro- 
perty to other parties named therein, "all the rest, residue and re- 
mainder of my lands, plantations, lots of ground, rents, tenements, 
hereditaments and real estate whatsoever and wheresoever." This 
Francis Richardson entered into possession of the real estate thus 
devised to him, and began very extensive improvements. He erect- 
ed between the years 1761 and 1770, the substantial building at the 
north-east corner of MarKet and Front streets, now known as the 
Steamboat Hotel, for a dwelling for his family, built extensive ware- 
houses and a wharf at the site of the present upper Grovernment 
pier, which wharf stood until the year 1816, and was known as 
"Richardson's wharf," and made preparations for a large business as 
a shipper of grain and other produce. While he was making these 
improvements he was remonstrated with by many of his friends for 
his outlay of money in the undertaking, and he was much incensed 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 91 

at wha*, he believe 1 to be their short-sightedness Unfortunately 
for his enterprise, the brewing troubles with the mother country 
worked disastrously for his speculations, and resulted in entirely 
ruining him. His daughter, Deborah, was married at Chester, June 
10, 1773, to Joseph Mifflin, and the same year Deborah, Hannah and 
John, together with their father, became members of Chester Friends' 
Meeting. Hannah married Samuel Fairlamb: Grace married Isaac 
Potts, and Frances married Clement Biddle. The four daughters 
of Francis Richardson were much admired for their beauty, and 
the exquisite transparencies of their complexion was so remarkable 
that the gallants of that day reported that, when they drank a glass 
of wine, "it might be seen trickling down their fair throats." An 
elder son, who was born in Philadelphia, and named after his fa- 
ther Francis, we are told by the Annalist, Watson, "was a person 
of great personal beauty," a statement Mrs. Deborah Logan fully 
corroborates. About 1770 this son went to London, having formed 
a passionate longing for military life from associating with the Brit- 
ish officers in Philadelphia, and secured a commission in the King'& 
Life Guard, of Avhich crack regiment he subsequently became Col- 
onel. His brother John, who was a Friend, when the Revolution- 
ary War broke out, was quite active in military movements, and 
for that cause was disowned by Chester Meeting in 1775. Francis 
Richardson died subsequently to the year 1779, for in April of that 
year he was the lessee of a frame store house on the east side of 
Market, south of Fourth street, which afterwards became the pro- 
perty of Dr. Job Terrill, and now of Mrs. John 0. Deshong. He 
died insolvent, and his real estate, dwelling and warehouses were 
sold after his death by Kzekiel Leonard, High Sheriff, July 2, 1787, 
to Robert Eaglesfield Griffith, a lawyer of Philadelphia, who, on 
May 4, 1789, conveyed the estate to Davis Bevan. 

This Davis Bevan was of Welsh descent, and was one of the most 
conspicuous characters in our city's annals. He was married to 
Agnes Coupland, daughter of David Coupland, and was thirty-seven 
years of age when the battles of Lexington and Concord were fought. 
He was commissioned Captain in the Continental Army, and served 
faithfully throughout the war. Martin, in his History of Chester, 
furnishes the following pleasing incidents in the life of Captain 
Davis Bevan:— 



92 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



" He was with Washington at the battle of Brandywine, in 1777, 
and after the defeat of the American forces he carried dispatches 
from General Washinston to the President of the (Continental Con- 
gress, then sitting in Philadelphia, announcing the result of the en- 
gagement. A gentleman by the name of Sharp, accompanied Capt. 
Beven. Proceeding some distance from the army they observed 
they were pursued by a party of British light horse. Mr. Sharp 
was not so well mounted as Captain Bevan, who had a thorough- 
bred mare of great action and endurance. Finding that the light 
horse were gaining on them constantly, and that Mr. Sharp would 
persist in urging his nag up the hills in spite of his advice to the 
contrary, Capt. Bevan said : ' Sharp, if we keep together our capture 
is certain, therefore, I think you ha.l better take the next cross road 
that we come to, and I will continue on. They will follow me, but 
I am confident they cannot capture me.' This proposal was agreed 
to, and as soon as Mr. Sharp bad turned off, Capt. Bevan gave the 
rein to his mare, and his pursuers soon finding themselves distanced, 
gave up the chase. When Capt. Bevan reached the Schuylkill du- 
ring the night, he found, owing to a heavy freshet, the ferry boat 
was either vuiable to run, or had been carried down the river. A 
boatman, however, rowed him over, while his mare swam by the 
side of the boat. He landed safely on the Philadelphia shore, and 
replacing his saddle, he hastened to deliver his dispatches. This of- 
ficer had various adventures, and often ran great risks while the 
American army was at Valley Forge. On one occasion he went to 
visit his wife at the house of a Mr. Vernon, where she had come 
from Philadelphia, for the purpose of seeing him. Mr. Vernon's 
house was but a short distance from the British lines, and it was 
therefore necessary that considerable caution should be exercised 
to prevent capture by the numerous parties of British foragers 
scouring the country. Mr. Vernon's sons were posted around the 
house at convenient points for observation to give warning of the 
approach of enemies, and Capt. Bevan went to bed. About the 
middle of the night one of the boys came to his room, and informed 
him that a mounted party were approaching the house, and he had 
better prepare to take his departure. Being rather an obstinate 
man he did not seem to believe the report, but presently another 
picket came in and told him that he would certainly be captured if 
he remained any longer. He sprang out of bed, hurried on his regi- 
mentals and reached the back door just as the British party knocked 
at the front. He got to the stable, where he found his mare already 
saddled, and leading her out and mounting, he leaped the fai"m-yard 
enclosure, and being perfectly familiar with the country he had no 
difficulty in evading his enemies. 

" The crew of the Brigantine ' Holker ' was enlisted at Chester, 
by Capt. Davis Bevan, to sail as a privateer. He was Captain of 
Marines. The ' Holker ' was commanded by Capt. Matthew Law- 



Historic Buildings in Chester. '93 

iler, Lis son-in-law, and captured some valuable prizes, one laden 
with lead, which was invaluable to the army, as at that time the 
supply for making bullets was about exhausted. Most of the en- 
listments were made in Jvily, 1779, as appears by the receipt book 
■of Capt Bevan, now in possession of the Delaware County Insti- 
tute of Science. The bounty paid for a single cruise was from $50 
to $100, most probably Continental money." 

During the Revolutionary War, the house, whose southern gable 
end, as we know, stood near the river, which at that time was a 
bold, gravelly shore, was a conspicuous mark: and when the Brit- 
ish frigate "Augusta," in 1777, sailed up the Delaware to be sunk 
afterwards in the attack on Fort Mifflin, her commander, in sheer 
wantonness, opened fire on the defenseless town. One of the shot 
shattered the wall in the gable end towards the river, and the owner 
repaired the breach by placing a circular window in the opening 
thus made. It still remains there. 

The house for many years was unproductive ; various tenants oc- 
cupied it, but because of the tradition that shortly after the Revo- 
lution a negro named Laban had been killed in the dwelling by a 
blow with an axe on the head, wlwse blood was said to have made 
an indelible stain l^ehind the door where he fell, and whose spirit 
wandered around the place of his untimely death, they were of a 
class that could not afford to pay remunerative rent for the prem- 
ises. 

Davis Bevan died March 30, 1818, and in the distribution of his 
estate the Steamboat Hotel passed to his son, Matthew Lawler 
Bevan. He, September 27, 1826, sold the property to John Ford, 
who named it the Steamboat Hotel, and among the attractions to 
bring custom to this house, he set up a bagatelle table, the first 
ever owned in Chester. For some time it drew many of the men 
of the place to the hotel, and so annoying did it prove to the good 
wives of that day (who were permitted to remain home while the 
heads of the family were playing the new game) that the women of 
Chester christened the table "the bag of hell." Ford, too, was 
excessively jealous of his wife, and frequently became so demon- 
strative that for days together he locked his better half in one of 
the upper chambers and would carry her meals to the room, per- 
mitting no one to speak with her until his ill humor had expended 
itself. He seems not to have been successful in the business, for 



94 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



the property was sold by Jehu Broomall, Sheriff, June 1831, to 
Samuel Smith. The new owner leased the premises to Welcome 
I). Niles, for eighteen months, but in the meantime he was making 
efforts to secure a new tenant. The house, as it was at that time,, 
is described in an advertisement headed " for rent," which ap- 
peared in the Weekly Visitor of January 29, 1 832. It states : 

" It is most advantageously located, being but a few yards distant 
from the landing of the numerous steamboats which ply up and 
down the river. There are seventeen fine rooms in the building, 
which are large, airy and very comfortable. The bar-room is fitted 
up in the neatest manner. A two-story piazza, extending nearly 
around the house, is sufficient to accommodate nearly 100 persons 
to dine, and affords a delightful promenade, and an extensive view 
on the Delaware, the Lazaretto, etc. There is stabling on the 
premises sufficient for 20 horses, with a fine shed attached. A 
spring of excellent water on the premises and a good garden, con- 
taining three acres of excellent land." 

The hotel was shortly afterwards rented to Henry Rease, who 
will be remembered by many of our elder residents, as one of 
the people from Chester, saved from death when the steamboat 
William Penn caught fire, March 4, 1834, off the Point House, near 
Philadelphia, and was burned to the water's edge. After Rease's 
term had expired the property was leased to Grossman Lyons, a 
well known citizen of Chester, the son of a Revolutionary soldier, 
who when a young man had joined Washington's army in its retreat 
through New Jersey, had followed the fortunes of the Continental 
troops through the war until its close, when he settled in Chester 
and married Mary Gorman, a woman of extraordinary nerve, whose 
busy hands dressed many of those wounded at the battle of Brandy- 
wine, who were brought to this city for attention. She it was who 
waited on and dressed the wounds of Marquis de Lafayette, on the 
evening of that disastrous day. Crossman Lyons, October 12, 
1844, purchased the property, and a fcAv years subsequent he leased 
it to Howard Roberts, who, after keeping the hotel for about three 
years, declined to continue the business longer, and Mr. Lyons re- 
sumed the post of "mine host" until November 12, 1851, when 
John Goff, of Philadelphia, purchased the property and became its 
landlord. 

The following year the new proprietor made extensive improve- 
ments, laid out the grove as an ice cream garden, built a pavilion, 



Historic BuikHvgs in Chester. 95 

and among other attractions procured a live black bear, which for 
several years was one of the features of the preniJses, for among 
his other accomplishments, Bruin had learned to enjoy a '■ quiet 
snifter," and seemed to be perfectly happy when he could take a 
bottle of porter and let the liquid gurgle down his throat. In the 
fall of the year 1856, the bear having grown cross, it was deter- 
mined to kill it, and Mortimer H. Bickley was assigned to shoot 
the animal, which he did. The tables of many Chester people, for 
several days thereafter, were garnished with bear meat in every 
jstyle in which the cooks could prepare it. Mr. GofF died in August, 
1857, and on December 13, 1859, his administrator, Hon. John 
Larkin, Jr., sold the estate to his widow, Mary Ann GofF, who still 
owns it. John Goff, the present landlord, has recently had many 
improvements made to the ancient building, which still bears about 
it the evidence that it was erected by a wealthy man of the Colo- 
nial days, whose genial hospitality gave open-hearted welcome to 
his friends in the " Auld Lang Syne." 



7Uie Lafajette House. 

The house at the southwest corner of Third street and Edgmont 
avenue, is one of the oldest buildings in our city, and in a deed from 
James Sandelands, the younger, September 10, 1700, to Stephen 
Jackson, the property is described as a house and lot, thus showing 
that the structure antedates that instrument. Stephen Jackson, on 
June 17, of the following year, transferred the property to John 
Worrilow, and he in turn, conveyed it, August 29, 1704, to Philip 
Yarnall. The latter, after retaining title to the estate for 29 years, 
sold the dwelling and lot to John Mather, September 26, 1733, wdio 
at the time of his purchase was in occupation of the house and kept 
a tavern there. After the death of Ruth Hoskins, who in her will 
dated July 3, 1739, devised the present City Hotel to her grand- 



96 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

daughter Ruth, daughter of John Mather — the latter took posses- 
sion of the larger building directly opposite to that he had occupied^ 
although he does not seem to have made use of the dwelling at that 
time as a hotel. He, however^ did not part with the house he pur- 
chased from Yarnall, but leased it to James Mather, perhaps hi& 
brother, since John Mather named his only son James, probably for 
the person mentioned. That James Mather kept the tavern here 
In 1746 we know, for he was one of the number of innkeepers who 
petitioned the Legislature for payment of certain claims, more fully 
referred to in the account of the Black Bear Inn, and in the Journal 
of William Black, who was the Notary of the Commissioners ap- 
pointed by Governor Goocb, of Virginia, to unite with those frons 
the colonies of Pennsylvania and Maryland, to treat with the Iro- 
quois, or six nations of Indians, in reference to the land west of the 
Allegheny mountains, in describing the journey of the Commission- 
ers from Virginia and Maryland to Philadelphia, under date of 
Saturday, May 25, 1744, he records: 

"Nine miles from Wilmington, and at; the line dividing New 
Castle and Chester counties, were waiting the High Sheriff, Coro- 
ner and under Sheriff of Chester county, who conducted us to Ches- 
ter Town, six miles further, where we arrived a few minutes before 
nine at night, and put up at Mr. James Mathew, (Mather) the most 
considerable house in the town ; most of the company being very 
much fatigued with the day's ride being very warm, they inclin'd 
for beds soon after they alighted, and tho' for my part I was not 
very much tir'd, yet I agreed to hug the pillow with the rest." 

The next entry in his Journal, doubtless after refresing slumber^ 
is headed " Chester in Pennsylvania, Sunday, the 26," and he re- 
cords his doings in, and impression of, Chester, of that day, thus: 

" This morning, by the time the sun retum'd to Enlighten My Bed 
Chamber, I got up with a Design to take a view of the town. It is 
not so large as Wilmington, neither are the Buildings so large in 
General, the Town stands on a Mouth of a Creek of the same name, 
running out the Delaware and has a very large wooden Bridge over 
it, in the middle of the Town-, the Delaware is reckon'd three miles 
over at this place, and is a very good Road for Shipping; the Court 
House and Prison is two tolerable large Buildings of Stone, there are 
in the Town a Church dedicated to St. Paul, the Congregation are 
after the manner of the Church of England ; A Quaker Meeting and 
a Sweed's " (?) " Church ; about 10 of the Clock, forenoon, Comm'rs 
and us of their Leeve went to St. Paul's ; where we heard a Ser- 
mon Preach'd by the Reverend Mr. Backhouse, on the 16th Chapt. 



Historic Buildings in Chrster. 97 



of St. Luke, 30 & 3 1st Vers3s, from this some of us paid a Visit 
to the Friends' who were then in Meeting, but as it happened to be 
a Silent One, after we had sat about 15 niin., they Shook hands and 
we parted, from this Return'd to our Inn, where we had a very good 
Dinner, and about 4 in the Evening Set out for Philadelphia, Ac- 
companied by the ShfFs, Coroner, and several Grentlemen of the 
Town, past thro' Darby a Town 7 miless from Chester, Standing on 
a creek or the same name and at a Stone Bridge about half a mile 
further, was met by the Sheriff, Coroner, and Sub-Sheriff" of Phila- 
delphia County Here the Company from Chester took their leave 
of Us and return'd." 

James Mather afterwards purchased the ground where National 
Hall stands, with the building thereon, which William and Joshua 
P. Eyre tore down to make room for the present structure. Here 
he continued the occupation of an innkeeper. 

In his will. May 28, 1768, John Mather devised it to his daughter 
Jane. She first married Dr. Paul Jackson, who, dying in 1767, the 
following year she married Dr. David Jackson. The latter and his 
wife, February 27, 1 775, conveyed the property to James Sparks, a 
merchant of Philadelphia. There is no evidence to show that Dr. 
David Jackson ever resided there, and, as he was a physician in 
Philadelphia, the probabilities are that he never personally occu- 
pied the dwelling, and the same is true of Sparks, notwithstanding 
he owned it nine years. Who dwelt therein, I have failed to learn, 
but May 13, 1784, Sparks sold it to William KerHn, \vho made it 
his residence, and dying seized of the estate, in his will, November 
28, 1804, devised it to his wife Catharine, for life, with remainder 
to his son, John Kerlin. This son John owned the property at hi& 
death, and on July 5, 1817, his executors, William Kerlin and 
Jonathan Pennell, sold it to James Chadwick, who, in turn, dying 
seized of the property, it descended to his only child, John Chad- 
wick, subject to the dower of his widow, Rebecca. John Chadwick, 
while owning the property, purchased two frame buildings at Mar- 
cus Hook, and placing them on scows, had them floated up to Ches- 
ter, where he erected them on the eastern end of his property on 
Third street. Both of these houses are now owned by the estate 
of Henry Abbott, Sr., deceased This was considered a marvellous 
feat in those days. John, however, January 15, 1829, conveyed his 
title to his mother, and, October 7, 1880, Rebecca Chadwick sold 
the estate to Charles Alexander Ladomus. The latter was French 



98 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

by birth, and at the outbreak of the French Revolution of 1793, his 
mother, (being of an aristocratic family,) was compelled to flee in 
the night time to Germany with her children. Charles was at that 
time a lad of ten years. All the family remained in the land of re- 
fuge, and after the battle of Jena, October 14, 1805, Charles A. 
Ladomus was in Berlin when the defeated Prussian army fled through 
that city. When the French occupied it, he acted as an interpreter 
for Napoleon. He subsequently made a tour of Europe on foot, 
which, as he practiced his occupation as a watchmaker in the mean- 
time, consumed twelve years. About 1828, he came to the United 
States, married Catharine Schey, a widow, and settled in Chester, 
where he followed the business of a jeweler and watchmaker in the 
old building under consideration, until several years before his 
death, December 30, 1857, in his 76th year. By his will, Decem- 
ber 15, 1853, he devised his estate to his wife for life, and at her 
death to his three sons, Jacob, Lewis and Joseph, and to his grand- 
son Charles Burkheimer, the only child of his daughter Rosanna, 
in equal shares. The title to the property is still held by the sons, 
their mother's life estate having determined, April 10, 1874, at 
which time she died, aged 84 years. 

After Mr. Ladomus' death, the old building was occupied by 
James Chadwick, who did a large business therein. He accumukted 
considerable , means, but his purchase of the lots at Fourth and 
Market streets, and the erection of Lincoln Hall, in 1866, resulted 
in financial ruin. (Chadwick was succeeded by B. Bauer, who kept 
a clothing store there until 1875, when the house was rented to 
Caleb P. Clayton, and after nearly a century had gone by, became 
once more a public house. 



Historic Buildings in Chester, 99 



Tlie Black Bear Inn. 

The hipped-roof house at the north-east corner of Third and 
Penn streets, was erected early in the last century, for in the will 
of John Salkeld, Sr., February 17, 1733-4, five years before his 
death, he devised the premises to his son Thomas, and designated 
it as " the house and lot wherein my son-in-law, Anthony Shaw, 
now dwells." How long Shaw lived there after the date mentioned 
I have not learned, but in 1746 it was kept as a public liouse by 
John Salkeld, the younger, for in that year he, among other inn- 
keepers, presented a petition to the Legislature, asking compensa- 
tion for the " diet of Capt Shannon's company of soldiers," quar- 
tered here during the early part of the French war. At this time 
he was a tenant of his brother Thomas, for the latter, in his will 
June 21, 1749, after making specific devises of other lands, gave 
the residue of his estate to his brother John Salkeld. The latter^ 
by his will, December 14, 1775, gave an eighth part of his estate, 
which was large, to his daughter Sarah. He died early in 1776, for 
his will was probated January 29, of the same year. In the distri- 
bution of her father's estate, the Black Bear Inn became her por- 
tion. Sarah Salkeld had married George Gill, an Englishman, 
several years before her father's death, for in the latter's will he 
leaves j610 to his grandson, John Gill, and in all probability she 
was then landlady. George Gill was an outspoken Tory in the 
Revolutionary struggle, anil so ardent was he in the defence of the 
English army and ministry, that after the battle of Brandywine, at 
the time the residents of Chester were smarting under the outrages 
perpetrated on them by the royal troops, he was compelled to leave 
this neighborhood when the enemy abandoned Philadelphia, and 
was proclaimed a traitor to the Colonies. When the British forces 
evacuated New York at the close of the war, Gill followed them to 
Halifax. Subsequently he returned to Chester, was arrested and 
thrown into prison, but was discharged therefrom by the Act of 
Assembly, which, under certain conditions, allowed free pardon to 
proclaimed traitors to the United Colonies. William Whitehead, 
in the History of the Borough, published in his Directory of Ches- 
ter, in 1859, states from information furnished by Mrs. Rebecca 



100 Histoiical Sketch of Chester. 

Brobson, then owning and residing in the dwelling, i,hat " at the 
period in which the inn flourished, the people of Chester made 
their own malt, and a malt-house stood upon the same lot ; this was 
a brick building, and in a dilapidated condition fifty years," (73 
years ago.) 

John Gill, the grandson mentioned in John Salkeld's (the younger) 
will, on October 26, 1809, conveyed the premises to Thomas B 
Dick, and mentions in the deed that the estate descended to hitn 
as heir-at-law of his mother, Sarah Gill. Thomas Barnard Dick 
was an attorney, admitted to the Delaware County bar, February 
9, 1790, but removed to Easton shortly after, where for several 
years he practiced law. He, however, returned to Chester, and was 
drowned in the Delaware, April 21, 1811. How the accident hap- 
pened is not known, since he was on the river alone in a row-boat, 
durin<y a heavy snow storm. He was the father of Archibald T,j^ 
Dick, a noted lawyer of this county, and in 1834 the Democratic 
candidate for Congress. During the war of 1812, the latter was a 
soldier, although he never took part in a battle, being with the con- 
tingent forces at Camp Du Pont. He built the Eyre mansion, on 
Ed^mont avenue, now the club house of the Chester Republican 
League, and died August 13, 1837, in his 43d year. Hon. Frank- 
lin A. Dick, his son, born in Chester, at the present time is 
one of the foremost lawyers at the American bar. Phoebe Dick, 
the widow of Thomas B. Dick, to whom the latter devised the es- 
tate, conveyed the property to William Brobson, April 22, 18iil. 
The latter was for many years an active man in the Borough, car- 
rying on the business of tanning in the yard on Edgmont avenue, 
now the property of his grandsons, Henry and P. J. Hinkson, Jr. 
Mr. Brobson, by his will, devised the estate to his wife, Rebecca, 
who died in 1863, at an advanced age. By her will, February 26, 
1861, she directed her real estate to be sold within one year after 
her death. George Sharpless and Frederick J. Hinkson, Sr., ex- 
ecutors, September 10, 1864, conveyed the property to Henry 
and Charles Hinkson, and they, October 7, 1864, deeded it to Fred- 
erick J. Hinkson, Sr. 

Frederick J . Hinkson, Sr., was a native of Upper Providence, 
his grandparents being descended from Irish ancestry. In early 
life he was a school teacher, continuing that vocation until 1827, 



Historw Buililings in Vhester. 101 

wheu he entered the liank of Delaware County as a clerk, yr.idu- 
ating in tune by merit to the position of cashier, and finally to the 
presidency of that institution. When the Bank was incorporated 
under the Act of Congress in 1864, he resigned the office. In 
1857, he was elected one of the Associate Judges of Delaware 
county ; subsequently he was elected a Jury Comnnssioner and Di- 
rector of the Poor. He was a candidate for the State Legislature 
in 1 874, by a popular call, and so great was the vote cast for him 
that, although there were three tickets in the field (he being named 
as an Independent) he was only defeated by a trifling pleurality. 
He was a director in many business associations and companies, 
being the Treasurer of several In 1837 he married Hannah, daugh- 
ter of William Brobson. Judge Hinkson died September 10, 
1879, and by his will devised the estate to his sons Henry and 
Frederick J. Hinkson, Jr., who now own it. 



TAe Hope's Anchor Tavern and the Siacej^ 

Bouse. 

The story of the old building at the south-west corner of Market 
and Fourth streets is an interesting one, and, although I have not 
been able to ascertain from whom David Coupland derived title, I 
have learned sufficient of the history of the premises to state 
that it is an ancient structure, built during the first half of the last 
century. It could not, of course, have been erected prior to 1700, 
for in that year the plan of the town was submitted by James San- 
delands, the younger, to William Penn and approved by the latter, 
and at that date the land was in the ownership of the heirs of Jas. 
Sandelands, the elder. It may be that the property came from 
Joshua Coupland, who, in his will, December 12, 1750, devised his 
real estate to his brothers Caleb and David Coupland, charged with 
a life annuity to his father, William Coupland, then a very aged 



102 Historical Sketch q/ Chester. 

man. We know that in 1746 the building had been erected and 
was at that time kept as a public house by David Coupland, for in 
that year he, with other innkeepers of Chester, petitioned the Leg- 
islature for payment of the " diet furnished to Captain Shannon's 
company," which troop was part of the forces enlisted during the 
old French War. 

David Coupland was born in Yorkshire, England, and came to 
the Colony with his parents m 1723, his brother Caleb having pre- 
ceded him nearly nine years. In 1730 he married Isabella Bell, 
and from that time seems to have taken an active part in the move- 
ments of the day. Although by birthright a Friend, we find that 
in 1758, when Brigadier General John Forbes commanded the Ex- 
pedition which resulted in the capture of Fort Du Quesne, (now 
Pittsburg,) David Coupland enlisted as a private in the company of 
Captain John Singleton, and during that campaign, he, with Ben- 
jamin Davis and John Flanby, (Hanley) agreed to pay Hugh Wil- 
son, of Lancaster county, ^5 as a bounty, for entering one wagon 
in the expedition, to be credited to the Borough of Chester. 

When the misunderstanding between the Colonies and England 
began, David Coupland immediately took sides with the former and 
was earnest in his efforts to sustain the cause of the Whigs. At 
the assembling of the people of Chester county, in the old Court 
House, in this city, December 20, 1774, f r the purpose of choosing 
a committee " to carry into execution the Association of the late 
Continental Congress," David Coupland was one of the committee 
chosen, and when the body adjourned, it was agreed that it should 
meet on January 9, 1775, at the house of David Coupland, and 
from time to time it held its sessions at his tavern. It was here, 
May 30, that the declaration of Association was adopted. The 
mutual pledge thus made was as follows : 

"We, the subscribers, do most solemnly resolve, promise and en- 
crage under the sacred ties of honor, virtue and love to our coimtry, 
that we will use our utmost endeavors to learn the military exer- 
cise and promote harmony and unanimity in our respective com- 
panies; that we will strictly adhere to the rules of decency during 
duty; that we will pay a due regard to our officers; that we will, 
when called upon, support with our utmost abilities the civil mag- 
istrates in the execution of the laws for the good of our country, 
and that we will at all times be in readiness to defend the lives, 



Historic Buildings in Chester. lOB 

liberties and properties of ourselves and our fellow-countrymeia 
against all attempts to deprive us of them." 

Notice is given by Francis Johnson, Secretary of the Committee, 
September 25, 1775, calling on the inhabitants of each township in 
Chester county to hold an election on the 11th of October, and se- 
lect a person to represent them on the committee for the ensuing 
year, and the committee so selected is instructed "to meet at the 
house of David Coupland, in the Borough of Chester, on Monday, 
the 23d of said month, at 10 o'clock, A. M." It seems that short- 
ly after this date Coupland retired from business, for in an ad- 
dress to the inhabitants of the county, in January, 1776, in pursu- 
ance of the recommendation of the Committee of Safety, that the 
Colony might have competent men to make gunpowder, Benjamin 
Brannan, Walter Finney and John Beaton announced various points 
in the county where they would meet and instruct all persons who 
have sufficient "public virtue and patriotic spirit" * * "to ex- 
cite them to such a valuable and necessary undertaking at this crisis 
of time," and designate "the house of Mrs, Whitby (Withey) in 
the Borough of Chester, on the first and second of March." 

Notwithstanding his advanced years, David Coupland was so earn- 
est in his advocacy of the cause of the ( Colonies, and previous to the 
battle of Brandywine having entertained the Marquis de Lafayette 
at his home, that he became very obnoxious to the Tories; hence, 
when the British army had possession of Philadelphia and Chester 
county, he was held under suspicion of comnmnicating with the 
Continental authorities. In the spring of 1778, when the "Vul- 
ture," a British man-of-war, laid oif Chester, in the middle of the 
night, a boat's crew came ashore and going to David Coupland's 
dwelling, the present Stacey house, adjoining the hotel, they took 
him out of bed and conveyed him to the vessel, where he was de- 
tained for many weeks a prisoner. His age, as well as the anxiety 
consequent on his forced detention from home, his inability to learn 
aught of his family, the exposure and harsh treatment induced a 
low, nervous fever. At length, when the disease began to assume 
alarming symptoms, the commander of the " Vulture " had him con- 
veyed ashore and returned to his home, but without avail. He died 
previous to August 26, 1778, for his will was admitted to probate 
at that date. The David Coupland who was elected Chief Burgess 



104 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

of Chester, arjcl on March 29, 1779, appeared before the Executive 
Council and took the affirmation required, was the son of Caleb 
Coupland, and was at that time in his fifty-seventh year. I men- 
tion this because I notice that in several places in Martin's His- 
tory of Chester, the author has been led astray by the similarity of 
the names. 

Who kept the old hostelry immediately after David Coupland, 1 
fail to learn, and although Whitehead, in his Historical Sketch be- 
fore mentioned, says that James Pennell did at one time, I doubt 
the accuracy of the statement. Jesse Maddux, early in this cen- 
tury was its landlord. It is related that the former had a number 
of ducKS of rare species which, with pardonable pride, he would 
frequeritly show his guests. On one occasion a prisoner in the jail 
threaded a strong cord through a number of grains of corn, and 
dropped the bait into the street, the other end being fastened to 
one of the iron bars in his cell window. A plump drake seeing the 
tempting morsel, bolted it, and the man began to draw in his catch. 
The squawking of the duck apprised mine hostess that something 
out of the usual way had happened, and she hastened to the door, 
When she beheld the extraordinary rise in poultry, she exclaimed : 
"You rascal, you ! that duck's mine!" " That," replied the pris- 
oner, coolly, " depends on whether this string breaks or not." 

Previous to the year 1817, Samuel Pennell occupied the house as 
a hotel, and was its landlord at the time of the hanging of John H. 
Craig, for some of his descendants remember standing on the side- 
walk and seeing the procession form at the prison, when the 
Sheriff and his deputies began the march to the place of execution. 

On April 1, 1819, John Irwin, an Irishman, who had become 
financially embarrassed in business in the old country, emigrated 
with his wife and child to America. Coming to Chester, he was 
advised by Dr. Terril to lease the " Hope's Anchor," which was 
then for rent. He was very popular in his new occupation, and 
soon acquired considerable means. He removed the old sign, and 
replaced it with one representing a white swan swimming in blue 
water, which creaked on gusty days as it swung in the frame at the 
top of a heavy pole planted near the curbstone, at the intersection 
of the streets. Irwin was, as is noticeable in all persons of his na- 
tionality, a sportsman, and as he grew well-to-do, he kept several 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 105 

fast horses and a pack of hounds He purchased the premises, in- 
cluding the house now owned by Joseph Ladomus, Pecember 17, 
1824, from Matthew D. Bevan, Ann Bevan, (who married Captain 
Matthew Lawler, Mayor of Philadelphia,) and Tacey Anna Bevan, 
(who married Gleorge Stacey) the children of Agnes Bevan, to whom 
the property had been devised by her grandfather, David Coupland, 
for two thousand dollars. From that time until the old Chester 
Lodge, No. 69, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons surrendered its 
charter, in 1836, the lodge room was in the third story of the cor- 
ner building, and was afterwards used by the Odd Fellows. 

The hall, after the latter body vacated it, was altered into four 
or five rooms for the use of guests. John Irwin died in 1 834, and 
the widow continued the business until 1844, when Maurice W, 
Deshong leased it and changed the name to " The Delaware County 
Hotel." Mrs. Irwin died in 1847, and September 17, 1849, the 
property was sold by Robert R. Dutton, Sheriff, in settlement of 
the estate, to John Parkinson and Michael Carroll Three years 
subsequent, March 30, 1852, John Cochran purchased the property, 
and converted the ancient Inn into two stores and dwellings. The 
one at the corner was occupied by John Cochran and R. Morgan 
Johnson as a dry goods store, while the adjoining house was sold 
by John Cochran, May 15, 1852, to Joseph Ladomus, who still owns 
it. In February, 1859, John Cochran conveye 1 the corner store 
and dwelling to Edward R Minshall, whose heirs now own the pro- 
perty. In 1879, the corner part of the old building was licensed 
as a hotel, and is at present kept by Edward Kelly. 

The Stacy House, immediately adjoining the hotel to the south, 
was devised by David Coupland to his daughter Sarah, who, in 
1788, married Benjamin Bartholomew. The latter was a member 
of the Assembly from Chester county, and when that body, June 
30, 1775, appointed a Committee of Safety, consisting of twenty-five 
members, Bartholomew was one named from this district. He was 
very active and efficient in discharging the duties of the position. 
He died 1784, and his wife, who survived her husband many years, 
resided in the house until near her death, and by will devised the 
premises to her niece, Tacey Ann (Bevan) who had married George 
Stacey. The latter, by her will, March 28, 1829, devised all her 
estate to her sons, James G. and Davis B. Stacey, in trust for Han- 



106 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

nah, the wife of James G., and Sarah, (Van Dyke) wife of Davis 
B. Stacey, in equal parts, and at their death, to their children, in 
fee. Davis B. Stacey, well known to the elder residents of this 
city, with his brother, was at one time largely engaged in business 
as shipping merchants in Philadelphia, but, owing to heavy losses, 
the burning of one ship at sea and the wrecking of another, they 
were compelled to suspend. Mr. Stacey was an accomplished gen- 
tleman, and while abroad met Miss Sarah Van Dyke, of Flushing, 
whom he married. He died 18()4, and his wife survived him many 
years. The property known as the Stacey House, July 3, 1871, was 
conveyed by Hannah Stacey and her children to Sarah Stacey and 
her children. The latter are still the owners of the dwelling, which 
has been in the possession of the family as far back as I could fintl 
record. 



TAe Slue Ball Inn. 

The old dwelling at the north-east of Second and Market streets, 
was erected b} Francis Richardson between the years 1765 and 
1770. The land whereon it stands was devised to him in 1760, by 
Grace Lloyd. At the time he began the house, Richardson be- 
lieved that he was on the high road to great business prosperity, 
but before he had finished it he became financially embarrassed, 
owing to mist iken efforts to advance Chester to the front rank as a 
commercial rival of Philadelphia. It will be noticed that there 
are holes still in the brick walls where, when the house was build- 
ing, the timbers were inserted on which rested the boards of the 
scaffolding. It is said by Martin that in the days before the Me- 
chanics' Lien law, when masons were not paid for their work, these 
holes were always left in the wall to indicate to their fellow crafts- 
men that default had been made in that respect, and no mason 
would fill them in until the builders' claim had been discharged. 



Historic Buildings in Chpster. 107 

Be that as it may the holes remain to this day, and have for more 
than half a cen^ury aroused the curiosity of strangers as well as 
residents of Chester, as to the reason they had not been closed. 

The property was sold by Francis Richardson to David Coupland, 
reserving in the deed an annual rent of j£3. Coupland in his will, 
dated December 3, 1777, devised to his daughter, Sarah Coupland, 
the "house and corner lot down Market street, which I purchased 
from Francis Richardson," during the minority of his grandson, 
David Bevan, and, when the latter attained manhood, the title was 
to vest in him. David Bevan, however, died without issue, and the 
estate passed to Joshua Coupland, a son of David Coupland ; for 
Ezekiel Leonard, Sheriff, sold the rent charge on an execution 
against Francis Richardson, to Davis Bevan, August 31, 1787, and 
in the deed designates the property as in the tenure of Joshua 
Coupland. Bevan, April 1, 1788, conveyed the rent purchased by 
him to the heirs of Joshua Coupland, and in the distribution of the 
latter's estate, the Blue Ball Inn descended to his daughter, Sarah, 
who married, March 6, 1813, Thomas Malin, of Middletown. Mrs. 
Malin survived her husband, and resided in the ancient dwelling 
until her death, which occurred previous to 1859. 

When the house was first built it was a noted inn, and from its 
peculiar sign — a blue ball suspended from the end of a pole or staff 
which projected from a hole in the wall, in the gable end on Mar- 
ket street — it was known as " The Blue Ball Inn." Its then land- 
lord was Samuel Fairlamb, who had married Hannah, the daughter 
of Francis Richardson. It was one of the dwellings struck by the 
balls from the English vessel of war which opened fire on the town 
in 1777, as narrated elsewhere, and the shot is said to have passed 
directly through one of the rooms in the second story. 

Mrs. Malin having died intestate, Joshua Coupland administered 
to her estate, and on September 24, 1860, sold the property to John 
Brewster The latter, April 11, 1866, conveyed it to William Nu- 
gent and Drusilla Nugent, and the former, December 29, 1867, 
sold his interest in the property to Drusilla Nugent, who still owns 
it. The house is at present occupied as a restaurant. 



108 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



JoAnson^s Tavern. 

Strictly following the plan in writing these sketches, of designat- 
ing' the building by the name of the person who erected it, I am 
not correct in calling this dwelling Johnson's Tavern, for Samuel 
Johnson did not come into possession of the premises until many 
years after the house was erected. The property was part of a 
tract of land acquired by Jacob Howell from the administrators of 
Jonas Sandelinds , August 21, 1732, (more fully set forth in an ac- 
count of the Sandeland House elsewhere,) and which afterwards be- 
came the property of Isaac Howell, who was a tanner, as was also 
Jacob Howell. The former conveyed the property to William 
Pennell, December 10, 1748, as a messuage and lot of land, hence 
the building was placed there by Isaac or Jacob Howell — I presume 
the former— because the latter built the small stone house on the 
east side of Edgmont avenue, elsewhere mentioned in the account of 
the Sandeland House. 

William Pennell, by will, 5th, 7th month, 1757, devised this pro- 
perty to his sons, James, William and Robert, and the two former, 
December 10, 1763, released their interest in this estate to Robert 
Pennell, who, April 3, 1784, conveyed the property to Samuel 
Johnson. The latter kept the dwelling as a public house, and is 
believed to have occupied it as a tenant before he purchased it. 
He seems to have failed in his undertaking, for he made default in 
payment of the mortgage, the estate was seized and sold by Ezekiel 
Leonard, Sheriff, July 5, 1 787, and purchased by Robert Pennell. 
A brother of the then owner, James Pennell, rented the premises 
and while he was the landlord, as an attraction for the public, he 
kept a tiger, which he had taught to perform a number of tricks, 
and as it was apparently very tame and docile, he had no fears of the 
animal. This unusual spectacle, at a time when there were no 
monstrous travelling shows to entertain the public, drew many per- 
sons to Pennell's tavern, and frequently he could be seen showing 
to a crowd of gaping rustics how tractable the creature was and 
how promptly it obeyed his command. 

Pennell subsequently became the landlord of the Black Horse 
Hotel, in Middletown township, now kept by Edgar C. Lyons, and 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 109' 

when he removed thither he took the beast with him and continued 
the exhibitions. One day, while showing the country people his 
control of the tiger, he forced the animal to do many tricks over 
and over again, until it became enraged, and springing upon Pen- 
nell, it tore him with its teeth and claws so badly before it could 
be driven back, that the unfortunate man died in a few hours 
thereafter. 

After James Pennell had removed from this house, the owner, 
Robert Pennell, sold it March 23, 1790, to Tristram Smith, who 
carried on in the yard the business of tanning for about eighteen 
years. Be conveyed the premises, March 26. 1808, to Jeremiah 
M cllvain, father of Spencer Mcllvain, who lived in the house for 
more than three years, although he did not use the vats and other 
appliances on the premises in tanning hides. Mr. Mcllvain, June 
13, 1811, sold the property to John Cowgill, Jr., of Kent county, 
Delaware, and Joshua C. Cowgill, of Chester, and after they had 
held the estate in common until December 15, 1815, Joshua C. 
Cowgill purchased the interest of John Cowgill, Jr., in the premi- 
ses. The latter died seized of the house and lot, and Martha Cow- 
gill and Cyrus Mendenhall, administrators of his estate, conveyed 
it, December 14, 1832, to William Brobson, who carried on a tan- 
nery in the two yards now owned by him, for both Isaac and Jacob 
Howell's yards had come into his possession by purchase. William 
Brobson, by will, January 1, 1852, devised the estate to his wife, 
Rebecca, and September 25, 1855, Rebecca Brobson conveyed the 
estate to Frederick J. Hinkson, Sr., who for many years carried on 
the tan yard therein. By his will he left the premises to his two 
sons, Frederick J. Hinkson, Jr., and Henry Hinkson. 



110 Historical Sketch of Ch(.'-(er. 



TliG Old ¥^orter [Llojd] House. . 

It is doubtful whether any building in the United States, whose 
history extends over more than a century and a half has had con- 
nected in the title to the property so many distinguished owners 
as will be found in that of the old Porter House in this city, whose 
record was closed in that appalling tragedy, early in this year, 
which shrouded our city in mourning for a season. 

By patent dated April 9, 1669, Francis Lovelace, Governor Gen- 
eral imder the Duke of York, granted unto Neeles Laerson, alias 
Friend, a large tract of ground comprising one hundred and fifty 
acres, but which by subsequent survey proved to include in the 
boundary lines one hundred and eighty-three acres. The patent 
reserved a yearly rent of one and a half bushels of winter wheat, 
payable to the King. Laerson entered into possession of the land 
thus allotted him, built upon and improved the premises. By will, 
dated December 17, 1686 — he died the following year Laerson 
gave authority to his wife to sell the real estate in her discretion. 
In exercise of this power Ann Friend — the family had by this time 
assumed the English alias as their family name and had abandoned 
the Swedish patronymic absolutely — the widow, Andrew Friend, 
son and heir of Laerson and Johannes Friend, the second son, by 
deed dated May 27, 1689, conveyed the estate to David Lloyd, 
Lloyd, however, after he built the house whose history I am writ- 
ing, seemed to have had some doubts of the sufficiency of the title 
and therefore, thirty-four years subsequently, July 13, 1723, he had 
/:.an Friend, (then one hundred and five years old,) and Gabriel 
Friend and Laurence Friend, the younger sons of Neeles Laerson 
and Ann, his wife, execute a deed conveying the premises he had 
purchased in 1686. Parts of the estate thus acquired were sold by 
Lloyd to Joseph Richardson, and to Rodger Jackson, but he sub- 
sequently re-purchased the land thus conveyed, and in addition ac- 
quired from Jonas Sandelands a considerable tract, until the estate 
had increased to about five hundred acres. 

David Lloyd was born in the Parish of Marravon, in the county 
of Montgomery, North Wales, in 1656. He was a trained and 
well-read lawyer in England, and, although he was only thirty years 



Historic Buildings in Chester. Ill 

old, so highly did Penn esteem his mental worth, that previous to 
Lloyd's departure for the Colony, the Proprietary appointed him 
Attorney General of the Province. He and his wife, Sarah, were 
passengers on the " Amity," which arrived at Philadelphia, August 
15, 1686. He is said to have been a man of fine and commanding 
appearance, of pleasing address, good delivery and an earnest, flu- 
ent advocate, whose persistent energy often hastened him in debate 
to utterances which earned for him the ill will of those holding 
opinions adverse to those he maintained. His natural powers were, 
however, so conspicuous that they compelled recognition, hence 
his appointment to many offices of trust and profit. He was at 
difl^erent times Clerk of the County Court of Philadelphia, Deputy 
Master of the Rolls and Clerk of the Provincial (Supreme) Court. 
His refusal while discharging the duties of the latter office to de- 
liver over to Governor Blackwell the records of the Court, brought 
him in direct collision with the Executive, and, although he was 
defeated finally, for a consi lerable time he maintained his position 
successfully. 

In 1689 he was Clerk of the Assembly, and in 1692-'94 he was 
a member of that body, representing the county of Philadelphia. 
Subsequently for four years he was a member of the Provincial 
Council, and while filling that position he battled earnestly for 
popular rights as against the encroachment of acting Governor 
Markham, and, indeed, it was largely due to his determined cour- 
age that Markham accorded the new charter of Privileges in 1696. 
To him we are indebted for many Legislative enactments, which, 
at that eaidy day, gave security to the public and improvement tO' 
the Province. In 1702 he was appointed advocate to the Court of 
Admiralty. The opening of the eighteenth century found Lloyd in 
open revolt against Logan and Penn. Logan was haughty and re- 
served, while " Lloyd was accessible to all, aflfable in his manners, 
pertinacious in his enterprises, and devoted to the people," and his 
brave conduct in refusing to personally apologize to Gov. Evans, 
made him, as he was, the advocate and defender of the rights of 
the people. His undaunted courage and persistency of purpose 
soon made him the foremost man in the Colony, and his honesty of 
action caused him to be the centre about which all who were strug- 
gling for popular rights gathered. The Logan and Penn corres- 



112 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

pondence shows with what bitter hatred he was regarded by Penn 
and James Logan, the latter the ever-willing mouthpiece of the 
Proprietary party The most opprobrious epithets and the basest 
of motives were freely ascribed to him, but, notwithstanding the 
slanders which were constantly hurled at him, he maintained his 
purpose without shrinking from the responsibilities it cast on him. 
His warm personal friendships kept his adherents ardent in his 
cause, and he was repeatedly chosen a member of the Assembly 
and often its speaker. Logan, previous to his open rupture with 
Lloyd, in a letter to William Penn, describes Lloyd as " a man 
very stiff in all his undertakings, of sound judgment and a good 
lawyer, but extremely pertinacious and somewhat revengeful." 
Proud, the historian, whose mind seemed to have leaned toward the 
Proprietary party, tells us that " his political talents seem to have 
been rather to divide than to unite, a policy that may suit the crafty 
politician, but must ever be disclaimed by the Christian statesman." 

In 1 709 Lloyd was manager of the impeachment of J ames Lo- 
gan, which proceeding justly failed in convicting the defendant of 
the charges alleged. In 1718 he was appointed Chief Justice of the 
Province, a position he held until his death in 1731. 

David Lloyd was twice married, his second wife was Grace Grow- 
den, whom he wed after the year 1703, for several deeds of that 
year are executed by him alone, indicating that at that time he was 
a widower. By his first marriage he was childless; by his second, 
he was the father of one son, who, at an early age was killed by an 
accident. He died 6th day of ye 2d month, (May) 1731, aged 78 
years, for such is the inscription on his tomb-stone in Friends' 
grave yard here. If it be a fact that he was seventy-eight years 
old when he died, David Lloyd could not have been born in 1656, 
and yet all the authorities agree in giving the latter date as that of 
his birth. By his will dated March 27, 1724, after a few bequests, 
the remainder of his estate is devised to his wife Grace, who was 
twenty-seven years younger than her husband. 

The old mansion was built in 1721, and the slab on which was 
engraved the letters L. L. D. & G., 1721, which was formerly in 
the western gable of the dwelling, is now in the office of Chief of 
Police L. D. Wheaton, to whom it was presented by the contractor 
who took down the shattered wall of the building after the explo- 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 113 

sion in 1H82. The house was of stone, massively built, and was 
one of the best specimens of Colonial jfrandeur which had descend- 
ed to our time. It received many additions to it after it passed 
into the possession of Commodore Porter, such as the building of 
the cupola on the roof, the walling up of the open corner chimney- 
place and substituting therefor the grates and marble mantels 
which were seen there when the ruins were visited by thousands of 
people last spring. Lloyd lived sumptuously in the old mansion, 
then as before stated one of the most imposing dwellings in the 
New World, entertaining largely and keeping a retinue of servants. 
He was one of the eight gentlemen of means in the I^rovince, in- 
cluding the (iovernor, who, in the year 1 7'25, are recorded as own- 
ing four-wheeled carriages, drawn by two horses. 

Grace Lloyd, in her widowhood, was attended fxitlifully by her 
friend, Jane Fenn, a noted minister of Friends, until the latter 
married, and in turn became the mistress of the old dwelling. 
Jane Fenn was born in 1693, in London, and when very young was 
strongly impressed with the belief that it was her duty to go to 
Pennsylvania, and after several years had elapsed, in which she 
struggled against the impression, she sailed in 1712, in company 
with a Welshman, liobert Davis, who with his family were emigra- 
ting to Pennsylvania. Davis had paid her passage, and she had 
obligated herself to return the outlay out of the first money she 
could earn ; but when he insisted that she should bind herself as a 
servant for four years to repay him the money, she resisted, as she 
had not come as a redemptioner. Davis had her arrested for debt. 
She was thrown into prison, but was relieved therefrom by some 
Friends, who paid the claim and employed her in their families as 
a teacher of their children. At this time she was not a Quaker, 
but the kindness of these people attracted her toward them, and 
finally she united with the Society and became ultimately one of its 
most efficient ministers. It is recorded that at a meeting at Haver- 
ford, David and Grace Lloyd came in, and immediately Jane Fenn, 
who was present, was impressed with the conviction that " these 
were the people with whom she must go and settle," while David 
and Grace Lloyd were in their turn impressed with Jane, " and it 
was fixed in their minds to take her for the Lord's service." In 
1719 she went to live with the family as housekeeper, and remained 



114 Historical SkdcJt of Chester. 

with them until 1727, when she visite 1 England and Ireland on a 
religious mission, and returned to Chester in 1750, a short time 
previous to David Lloyd's death. She remained with his widow 
until her (Jane Fenn's) marriage to Joseph Floskins, 8th mo. 26, 
1738, at Chester Meeting. 

On May 1, 1741, Grace Lloyd conveyed the mansion and most of 
the real estate she acquired under her husband's will to Joseph 
Hoskins, reserving two acres of ground and " also the room in the 
south-west corner of the mansion hfuse, called the dining room, 
the room on the north-east corner of said house, called the parlor, 
with a closet and milk house adjoining, the chamber over the said 
dining room, the chamber over the said parlor, one-half part of the 
garret, the front part of che cellar, the old kitchen and chamber 
over it, the chaise house, the usa of the pump, cider mill and cider 
press to make her own cider, and part of the garden, with free 
liberty of ingress, egress and regress into and out of all and every 
the premises for the term of her natural life without impeachment 
of waste " Grace Lloyd died in 1760. 

Joseph Hoskins was one of the best citizens our town has ever 
had. He was an enterprising, public spirited man, doing good and 
asking no mere gratification of his personal vanity by coupling his 
gift with conditions that the donor's name should be made conspicu- 
ous and held in remembrance because of these works by which 
others should be benefitted He gave because his heart prompted 
the act in the love he bore his fellows. Joseph Hoskins was born 
in Chester, June 30, 1705, and seems to have been an active man 
of business. When twenty-six years of age he made a voyage to 
the Island of Barbadoes, but returned after a short absence and in 
1739, after his marriage, he went to Boston, on business. In the 
early days of our country, a journey such as this, was a remarkable 
event in a man's life, and, at this time more persons can be found 
in Chester, in proportion to its population, who have visited Japan, 
than at the period I am alluding to, who had made a voyage to 
Boston. He was made Chief Burgess of Chester and one of His 
Majesty's Justices of the Peace in 1758 In his will bearing date 
the 31st day of the 12th month, 1769, Joseph Hoskins made this 
important public devise : 

« Item. I give and devise unto my friends Henry Hale Graham 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 115 



and William SwafFer, a certain lot of ground situate in the Borough 
of Chester, beginning at the intersection of Welsh or Back street, 
and the King's road, and to extend along the said King's road one 
hundred feet, and from thence parallel with the said Welsh or Back 
street one hundred feet, and from thence parallel with the said 
King's road one hundred feet to the said Welsh or Back street and 
thence by the same street one hundred feet to the place of begin- 
ning. To hold to them the said Henry Hale Graham and William 
Swaffer and their heirs forever upon special trust and confidence 
nevertheless and to and for the uses, intents and purposes herein- 
after mentioned, expressed and declared, and none other, that is to 
say, for the use, benefit and behoof of all and every the inhabitants 
of the said Borou< h and township of Chester for the building and 
erecting a school house or school houses or other edifices for the 
teaching and instructing and educating of youths therein, and my 
will is that the Trustees aforesaid enter into and be in quiet and 
peaceable possession of the said lot of ground, immediately after 
some part of the materials are got ready for erecting a school house 
thereon." 

Joseph Hoskins did not die until 1778, and his will was not 
probated until the 21 st of J uly oi' that year, but so unbounded was 
the confidence of his neighbors in his uprightness, that in 1770 
they built a school house on the lot thus given to the Borough, al- 
though their title was simply the statement of Hoskins, that he had 
made such devise of real estate in his will. We have every assur- 
ance to believe that he gave liberally of his income toward the 
building itself. Not only did he give this land, but in his will he 
also directed j£30 — a lar^e sum in those days — to be p?dd by 
his executors to John Eyre and James Barton, to be applied " for 
the schooling and educating of such poor children belonging to the 
inhabitants of the Borough and township of Chester as the said 
Preparative Meeting for the time being shall think fit to order 
and direct." He also gave j610 towards enclosing the Friends' 
grave yard, on Edgmont avenue, with a brick or stone wall, and. he 
being childless, the residue of his estate, after a few personal be- 
quests to relatives and friends, he gave to his nephew, John Hos- 
kins, of Burlington, New Jersey. This John Hoskins had married, 
in 1750, Mary, a daughter of Joshua and Sarah Baper, of Burling- 
ton, and their son, Baper Hoskins, having made Chester his place of 
residence, in charge of his father's property here. May 2, 1781, 
married Eleanor, daughter of Henry Hale Grraham, while Joseph 



116 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Hoskins, Raper Hoskins' brother, married, June 12, 1793, Mary, a 
younger daughter of Henry HaleGrraham. John Hoskins, to whom 
the estate descended under Joseph Hoskins' will, after holding the 
title to the premises for eighteen years, on March 22, 1791, made 
a deed conveying a large tract of land, comprising that whereon 
the old mansion house stood, to Raper Hoskins. The latter having 
died in the fall of the year 1798, a victim of the yellow fever 
scourge in Chester, his widow, Eleanor Hoskins, was granted letters 
on his estate and in discharge of her duties sold the property, April 
28, 1799, to Thomas Laycock. The latter died in the fall of the 
year 1804, and in satisfaction of certain obligations the estate was 
sold, October 20, 1806, by John Odenheimer, Esq., Sheriff, to 
Daniel Hitner, who in turn conveyed it. May 20, 1808, to Anthony 
Morris. December 10, of the same year, Morris sold the premises 
to Phebe Pemberton, and November 17, 1809, she conveyed the 
estate to Major William Anderson. Evelina Anderson, the daugh- 
ter of the Major, having intermarried with David Porter, in that 
year the newly wedded couple made their home at the old mansion, 
excepting during the times when Porter was located at naval sta- 
tions in charge of the Government yards. February 24, 1816, 
William Anderson and Elizabeth, his wife, " in consideration of 
the natural love and affection which they have and bear for their 
son-in-law, the said David ^orter, as well for and in consideration 
of one dollar," conveyed to David Porter in fee the house, improve- 
ments and a trifle over three acres and a half of land. 

David Porter was born in Boston, February 1, 1780, and was ap- 
pointed Midshipman April 3, 1793. He was a Lieutenant on 
board the " Constellation," when that frigate captured the French 
vessel of war, " L'Insurgent," in February, 1799, and was promo- 
ted for his bravery on that occasion. In 1800, he was wounded in 
an engagement with pirates off Santo Domingo, and was promoted 
to the command of the "Enterprise." While commanding that 
vessel he captured a Tripolitan corsair. He had charge of the ex- 
pedition which destroyed several feluccas ladened with wheat, under 
the batteries at Tripoli, in which engagement he was again wound- 
ed. In 1803, he was captured in the frigate " Philadelphia," when 
that vessel grounded in the harbor of Tripoli, was taken prisoner 
and for eighteen months was held as a slave. In 1806, he com- 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 117 

raanded the " Enterprise," and fought and severely handled twelve 
Spanish gunboats, near Gibraltar. In 1812, he was commissioned 
Captain and placed in command of the " Essex," which vessel he 
rendered famous in our country's annals, although he finally lost 
the ship in one of the most noted naval combats of history with 
two British vessels of war, off Valparaiso. In 1815 to 1816, he 
was one of the Naval Commissioners, and in the latter year made 
a successful cruise against the pirates that then infested the Gulf 
of Mexico. In consequence of some infraction of naval law he 
was suspended for six months; in 1826 he resigned his commission 
and entered the Mexican Navy as its Commander-in-Chief, an office 
which he soon resigned In 1829, he was appointed United States 
Consul at Algiers, and when that country was conquered by the 
French, he was made United States Charge d' Affairs at Constanti- 
nople, and while discharging the duties of that office he negotiated 
several important treaties with that government. He died at Pera, 
near Constantinople, March 3, 1843, and his remains were brought 
to this country and interred in Woodland cemetery, Philadelphia. 
Mrs. Evelina'Porter survived her husband twenty-eight years, dy- 
ing October 1, 1871, in her 80th year. 

David Porter left five sons and two daughters, the eldest, Evelina, 
married Captain Harris Heap, and the youngest, Imogene, married 
Mr. Harris. 

William David Porter, the eldest son, born in New Orleans in 
1810, entered the navy in his 18th year. During the early part of 
the Rebellion his loyalty was unjustly suspected, when he was in 
command of the sloop of war " St. Mary," on the Pacific station. 
He was, however, assigned to duty on the Mississippi river, where 
he fitted out the gunboat fleet and was placed in command of the 
" Essex," which took part in the attack on Forts Henry and Donald- 
son, in which latter engagement a ball from the fort plunged 
through the boiler of his vessel and the escaping steam so severely 
scalded Porter, that he ultimately died from its effects. May 1, 
1864. Notwithstanding his feeble health, he ran the batteries be- 
tween Cairo and New Orleans, took part in the attack on Vicks- 
burg, destroyed the rebel ram « Arkansas," near Baton Rouge, and 
assisted in the attack on Fort Hudson. He had by this time be- 



118 Historical Skdch of Chester. 

come so ill that he was ordered to New York to recruit his shat- 
tered health and died there at the date stated. . 

David D. Porter, the present Admiral, is said to have been born 
in Philadelphia in 1813, although in his letter to the Hanley Hose 
Company, respecting the date stone of the Porter House, he speaks 
of Chester as his native place. When a mere lad at school in this 
city, one Saturday afternoon he and the late George W Piper pro- 
vided themselves with several pounds of powder and made what 
the boys call a squib. The match seeming to have gone out, David 
Porter and his companion got down on their knees and blew the 
flame. The squib exploded and Porter and Piper were blown over 
the fence, near the old mansion. The hair on their heads was 
burned off", as well as their eye-brows, and the skin of their faces 
and hands was blistered badly. This was the future Admiral'.s 
" baptism of fire." He entered the Navy as Midshipman, in 1829, 
and from 1836 to 1840 was attached to the Coast Survey. He took 
part in the Mexican war, and in 1861 joined the Gulf Squadron in 
command of the " Powhatan." He was in command of the mor- 
tar boats in the attack on the Forts below New Orleans, in 1 862, 
and did important duties on the Mississippi and Red Rivers in 
1863-'64. He was conspicuous in the siege of Vicksburg, for 
which he was made Rear-Admiral. In 1864, he was in command 
of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and rendered efficient 
services in the capture of Fort Fisher, in January, 1865. In 1866, 
he was made Vice- Admiral, and iu 1876, Admiral of the United 
States He is the present owner of the old Porter property in this 
city. 

Theodoric Porter, the third son, entered the regular army in 
1838, as Lieutenant in the 7th U. S. Infantry, and was killed in a 
skirmish with the Mexicans, April 18, 1846, during G-en. Taylor's 
advance previous to the battle of Palo Alto. It is stated by army 
oflBcers that he strayed out of camp the night before the battle, 
and his body was found the next morning with several dead Mexi- 
cans laying around his corpse. 

Fifty years ago, when David D. Porter and his younger brother, 
Theodoric, were living at the old mansion, the winter was very se- 
vere and the river Delaware was frozen over. The two venturesome 
men announced their determination to sleigh to Philadelphia. 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 119 

Many of the residents of Chester tried to dissuade them from the 
attempt, but at nine o'clock in the mornino they started from the 
foot of Welsh street, David driving. The mouths of the creeks 
»vere piled with ice several feet in hei<?ht, and they were compelled 
to take the inside channel. .\ goodly part of their journey was 
performed on enormous cakes of ice which were entirely loose from 
the shore. At noon they reached the Navy Yard, and returning, 
left that place at three o'clock. The cold had become so in- 
tense that the two men were compelled to stop and build a fire on 
the ice to warm themselves. Resuming their journey they reached 
Chester at nine o'clock at night They had traveled thirty miles 
on the frozen surface of the river, a feat never attempted before, 
or, if it had been, no record has been made thereof. 

Henry Ogden Porter — or " Budd," as he was familiarly called — 
the fourth son, named for his uncle, Capt. Henry Ogden, was in the 
Navy, and afterwards in the Revenue service. During the Rebel- 
lion he was an acting Lieutenant in the Navy, and fought his vessel 
— the gunboat " Hatteras" — off Mobile, in an engagement with 
the " Alabama " until she sunk, her flag still flying proudly as she 
disappeared beneath the water He died about fifteen years ago 
near Washington 

Hamilton Porter, the next brother, Avas a Lieutenant in the Navy, 
and died of yellow- fever while in service, on August 10, 1844. 

The old house, after Commodore Porter's family ceased to use it 
as a residence, was leased to a number of tenants until at last the 
location of the gas works in that neighborhood rendered it no long- 
er a desirable dwelling, and it was leased in 1 862 to Professor 
Jackson, of Philadelphia, for a pyrotechnic manufactory. On Fri- 
day morning, February 17, 1882, shortly after seven o'clock, fire 
was discovered in the kitchen of the old structure and the alarm 
was responded to promptly by the fire department, although the en- 
tire force had been out late the preceding night battling with the 
flames which had laid the Pennsylvania Military Academy in ruins. 
The crowd which had gathered about the Porter House kept back 
because of the report which had been spread among them that gun- 
powder was stored in the establishment, but when they saw the 
Chief of the Fire Department and the members of the various fire 
companies approaching near to the structure, they drew closer to 



120 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

the scene. Flames at this time were observed coming out of the 
windows on the west side, and in half an hour after the firemen 
had arrived and had gone into service, a slight explosion occurred, 
which occasioned no injury. The men who had fled in alarm when 
this explosion took place, being assured that all danger was past, 
returned to the work of saving the building from absolute destruc- 
tion. Hardly had the firemen again mounted the ladders and re- 
sumed their labors, when a second explosion took place, which 
leveled the walls of the old kitchen to the ground, and tore huge 
gaps in the northern and southern walls of the main building. The 
air was filled with stones, which were hurled to great distances, 
killing in all eighteen persons and wounding fifty-seven, many of 
the latter still bearing upon their persons the disfiguring marks of 
their narrow escape from death. The houses in the neighborhood 
were in many instances damaged, and window glasses were shat- 
tered at considerable distances from the scene of the explosion. 
Never before in our city's history was there such wide-spread hor- 
ror and dismay as on that fatal morning. 

Business was entirely suspended and each person sought to learn 
if any of their family, friends or acquaintances were among those 
who had been killed or injured. Every effort was immediately 
made to alleviate the sufferings of the wounded and for the relief 
of those families wherein death from the explosion had occurred. 
To that end a fund amounting to about ten thousand dollars was 
subscribed within a few weeks and distributed by a committee ap- 
pointed for that purpose. The occurrence of this frightful calamity 
is too recent to require more than this brief mention now, but it 
will pass into our history as one of the most appalling events which 
has ever happened in Chester, and for many years to come will be 
narrated by those who witnessed it, to succeeding generations, in 
all the vivid details that memory always lends to such an incident. 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 121 



Tlie Barber Bouse. 

David Lloyd, under date of June 14, 1699, conveyed a lot on the 
north-east corner of Second street and Edgmont avenue to Robert 
Barber, and he it was who erected the dwelling adjoining the pre- 
sent " Edgmont House " to the east The house was an imposing 
one in its day ; the pent roof over the second story window still 
remains, although the porch, which formerly projected out some 
distance on the sidewalk, has been removed. It has two doors. 
The eastern one leading into the parlor, and the western door into 
the hallway, a room of the same size as the one on the opposite 
side, and in this apartment the staircase ascended to the rooms above. 
Back of this was the sitting room, while in the rear of the parlor 
was a dining room. The fireplaces and hearths in the hall- room 
and the parlor were laid in blue tiles, presenting scenes from Scrip- 
tural history, and in the chambers above, on each side of the fire- 
places, were large closets, similar to those mentioned in the ac- 
count of the Hoskins and Logan Houses. 

Robert Barber died seized of the estate, and by will, July 3, 
1708, devised it to his wife Hannah, for life, with remainder to his 
nephew, Robert Barber. The widow having married and her sec- 
ond husband having also died, she, on November 19, 1743, as Han- 
nah Hudson, conveyed her life estate to Robert Barber, thus vest- 
ing in him the title absolutely. The latter and Hannah, his wife, 
then residing in Hempfield, Lancaster county, in consideration of 
ten shillings, and " the love and natural affection they bear unto 
their son," on August 11, 1747, conveyed the premises and a tract 
of six acres and other lots in Chester, to John Barber. He, Au- 
gust 25, of the same year, sold the estate mentioned to Peter Dick, 
a well-known citizen, who had represented the county in General 
Assembly. He it was who owned and operated with John Crosly, 
the forge at Crum Creek, which Acrelius mentions, and of which 
Peter Kalm, the Swedish naturalist, in 1748, writes : 

" About two English miles behind Chester I passed an iron forge, 
which was to the right hand of the roadside. It belonged to two 
brothers, (?) as I was told. The ore is not, however, dug here, but 
thirty or forty miles hence, where it is first melted in an oven and 



122" Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Ihen carried to this place. The bellows were made of leather, and 
both they and the hammers, and even the hearth, but small in pro- 
portion to ours. All the machines were worked by water." 

Peter DicK dying seized of the estate, by will, JSTovember 4y 
1756, devised this house to his son, John Dick, who thereafter be- 
coming embarrassed, the dwelling was taken in execution and sold 
by Jonathan Fairlamb, Sheriff, November 26, 1763, (subject to the 
payment of a mortgage for ,£150 held by H. H. Graham,) to Elisha 
Price. 

Elisha Price, a nephew of Elisha Gatchelly who became so noted 
m the controversy between Penn and Lord Baltimore, was a law- 
yer of prominence in the last century, having been a student in the 
office of Joseph Parker. He frequently represented Chester county 
in the Colonial Legislature, and in the troublous times preceding 
the active outbreak of hostilities in the war for Independence, he 
was an unflinching Whig. When the merchants of Philadelphia 
and New York adopted their noted non-importation agreement and 
asked the support therein of the people in the outlying districts^ 
he was one of three to whom was addressed the circular sent to 
Chester county, and Avas one of the committee selected by the Con- 
vention, July 15, 1774, held in this Borough to consider the mat- 
ter. The following day he, with his associates, met similar com- 
mittees from the other counties, in Philadelphia In 1775, he was 
appointed one of the seven committeemen of correspondence from 
Chester county. He was an earnest Episcopalian, and from 1767 
to 1798 his name appears among the vestrymen and wardens of St 
Paul's Church. His wife was descended from James Barton, a 
minister of Friends, and " an early settler ." says Deborah Logany 
" a gentleman and a person of excellent character." Elisha Price 
died in 1798. 

John C. Beatty, of this city, states that in this house, in the 
north-west room on the first floor, the wound of General Lafayette, 
after the battle of Brandywine, was dressed by Mrs. Mary 
(Gorman) Lyons.* In support of this statement, he narrates the 

*In the account of the Columbia House, I referred to a letter written by Joseph 
Weaver, Jr., in 1843, respecting the house where Lafayette's wound was dressed. 
The letter at large is as follows : 

" Chester, Delaware County, April 3, 1843. 
Hon. Calvin Blythe. 

Dear Sir : — I take the freedom of recommending to your attention Mr. Grossman 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 123 

following incident which he recalls as having occurred when Lafay- 
ette was in Chester, in 1824. Mr. Beatty's grandfather, John 
daldwell, who did good service for the Continental cause at the 
.battle of Brandywine, took him (Beatty) to see the "National 
•Guest," and when his grandfather had shaken hands with Lafayette, 
lie said : " You don't remember me, General." " Yes, I do," re- 
plied the FreHchman ; " You're John Caldwell, I remember you 
very well ; you stood by me when my wounded foot was dressed." 
That day Caldwell walked with his grandson to this house, and the 
former showed him {Beatty) where the table stood in the room on 
which Lafayette laid while his injuries were cared for. During the 
Eevolution, Elisha Price owned and lived in this house. 

This property descended to his daughter Abigail, in the distri- 
bution of his estate which was large, and June 24, 1799, Aaron 
Musgrave and Abigail, his wife, sold it to Davis Bevan, who in turn, 
by his will devised it to his son, Matthew L. Bevan. The latter, 
July 18, 1833, sold it to Isaac Higgins, who lived in the house for 
many yeai's and died therein. After his death the property was 
sold by John Larkin, Jr., Sheriff, March 1, 1842, to Thomas Rob- 
inson, who made extensive repairs to the house, and unfortunately 
deeming the fire-places with their colored tiles an old fashion to be 
done away with, tore them out, the tiles being thrown in the street 
and carried away by the children. Robinson afterward makino^ de- 
fault in the payment of the mortgage, the premises were sold by 
Samuel Hibberd, Sheriff, May 27, 1844, to Frederick J. Hinkson, 
Sr., who March 25, 1851, conveyed the house to William Booth. 
He owned it until March 26, 1859, when he sold it to Jonathan 
Pusey. The latter died seized of the estate, and his heirs, Octo- 
ber 20, 1866, conveyed it to Isaiah H. Mirkil — the man to whom 
more than all other men, Chester is indebted for the erection of 
Second street bridge — who still owns it. 

Lyons, of this place, as a suitable person for the situation of Collector of Customs at 
Marcus Hook. From a long acquai-ntance with Mr. Lyons I feel warranted in rep*- 
xesenting him as a man that will well and efificiently execute his duties. 

It may not be improper to add that Mr. Lyons is the son of a Revolutionary char- 
acter who served his country during the whole of that War, in sustaining our Inde- 
pendence, and his mother was the lady who waited upon and dressed the wounds of 
Lafayette, at Mrs. Withey's Tavern (now the Columbia House) in Chester, after 
the battle of Brandywine. 

I am very respectfully yours truly, 

JOSEPH WEAVER, Jr." 



124 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



The Sdudelands' House. 

The ancient dwelling standing on the west side of Edgmont ave- 
nue, interposing itself directly in the way of the extension of Fourth 
street to Chester creek, now owned by Jonathan Pennell, was built 
by Jonas Sandelands, the second son of James Sandelands, the el- 
der, previous to August 21, 1732, for at that date Arthur Shields 
and Mary his wife, as the administrators of Sandelands' estate, (his 
widow Mary having married Shields) conveyed the premises as a 
messuage and lot to Jacob Howell, a tanner by occupation, subject 
to a quit rent of one shilling yearly to the heirs of Jonas Sande- 
lands, forever. It is probable that Howell lived in this house, al- 
though not then a married man, but having built the dwelling on 
the east side of Kdgmont avenue, directly in the rear, and abutting 
against the City Hotel — the property of Stephen Cloud, and now 
occupied as a Chinese laundry — he wished to sell the dwelling and 
a part of the ground he had purchased from Shields. Hence, on 
May 1, 1733, he conveyed the messuage and a portion of the lapd 
to John Wharton, a saddler, of Chester, who subsequently removed 
to Philadelphia having first sold, July 20, 1749, the premises to 
William Pennell. The latter resided in the dwelling until his 
death, and, by will, 12th month 20, 1756, devised the property to 
his three sons, James, Robert and William. Robert and William 
Pennell, December 20, 1762, transferred their interests to their 
brother James. The latter by will, December 22, 1763, devised 
it to his son Thomas, who died unmarried and without issue, and 
his title vested in his four brothers — William, James, Nathan and 
Jonathan. The three first named, April 9, 1 782, conveyed their in- 
terest to Jonathan Pennell, the grandfather of the present owner. 

Jonathan Pennell was a blacksmith and at the time he purchas- 
ed his brothers' interest did not reside in the house which had 
been used as a hospital and barracks by the American troops during 
the Revolutionary war, and was then in a dilapidated condition. 

It is related that when he first proposed to locate here and pur- 
chase from the other heirs the entire interest in the property, he 
called on Henry Hale Graham and desired his opinion as to his 
prospects of success in his avocation at Chester. The latter, in 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 125 

response, stated that he could not answer with any degree of cer- 
tainty ; he simply knew that all blacksmiths in the town, theretofore, 
had grown so desperately poor by crooking their little fingers that 
in a short time they could not keep iron cold. In other words, 
that intemperance had so reduced them that they could keep no 
stock in their shops, but were compelled to part with it to satisfy 
the craving of their appetite. However, Pennell must have im- 
pressed Graham favorably, for he loaned him j6250, and stipulated 
that he would receive the principal at any time in sums of <£10. 
So industriously and energetically did Pennell labor that he suc- 
ceeded far beyond his expectations. He soon began making pay- 
ment as designated, and so often did he present himself with the 
stipulated amount of <£10 in liquidation of the gross sum, that one 
day when he came on that errand, Graham, after he receipted for 
the money, said : " Good gracious, man, where do you get all this 
money ?" " I hammer it out of cold iron," was the reply of Pen- 
nell, who had not forgotten his first interview with the Judge. He 
ultimately acquired considerable means and became the owner of 
much real estate. Tn his Avill, August 1,3, 18'i9, he devised "the 
house and lot thereunto adjoining, where I now dwell, with the ap- 
purtenances, to my son, Edmund Pennell." 

The latter, who is a well-known resident of this city, after his 
father's death, purchased that part of the Withey farm which ex- 
tended from about Ulrich street on the east, to Lamokin run on the 
west, and from the Post road to the river, from Charles Justice. 
The latter had built the large brick building in 1828, on Second 
street, east of Pennell street, now known as the old Pennell house, 
the brick for which were made on the farm and burned in a clamp 
kiln, a short distance from the site of the dwelling. Mr. Pennell 
sold the farm in 1862 to Broomall and Ward. For several terms 
he was a member of Borough Council, and President of the Dela- 
ware County Bank for five years, succeeding Samuel A. Crozer in 
office, Mr. Pennell, although a septuagenarian, is still active. His 
recollection of the old times in Chester is vivid, and he has a fund 
of information respecting the men who moved and the events which 
happened in this locality more than sixty years ago. February 3, 
1877, Edmund Pennell and wife conveyed the property to their son 
Jonathan Pennell, who now owns it. 



126 Historical Sketch of Chester, 



The Hiiertine House. 

The brick building on the south side of Third street, more than 
rnidway in the block toward Edgmont avenue, which is now oc- 
cupied by Browning & Co , as a clothing house, was built by Wil- 
liam Huertine, subsequent to 1712; for August 12, of that year, 
John Musgrove and Mar}, his wife, sold to William Huertine the 
wround on which the house was afterwards erected, subject to 
a .yearly quit rent of two shillings to the heirs of James Sande- 
lands, the younger, and the same day Jonas Sandelands and Mary, 
his wife, confirmed the grant, reserving to the heirs of the grantor 
a yearly quit rent of two silver shillings. William Huertine, who 
was a silversmith, erected the house, but subsequently removed to 
New York, where he died. His widow, Elizabeth, and his children 
and heirs, March 2, 1724, conveyed the house and grounds — a larg- 
er tract of land - to Ruth Hoskins, who in her will, dated July 3, 
1739, devised the house and lots to her son-in-law, John Mather, 
he paying <£50 to John, Ruth and Mary Hoskins, the grandchildren 
of the testators, and children of her son, Stephen Hoskins. 

John Mather^ by his will, June 28, 1768, devised the estate to 
his grandson, John Mather Jackson, who, March 26, 1783, sold the 
premises to Edward Vernon, and tLe latter, December 16, 1784, 
conveyed it to Frederick Engle, who in turn by will devised it to 
his daughter Sarah, wife of Thomas Killie. The latter, June 2, 
1804, sold the house to Preston Eyre, and he purchased other lands 
from John Odenheimer, April 20, 1805, to straighten his line. The 
estate devised by Ruth Hoskins to Mather, had been sold in seve- 
S-al parts, during the course of over half a century which had 
elapsed between these two dates. 

Preston Eyre kept store in Chester, and when the Delaware 
County Bank was chartered, by Act of Assembly, March 21, 1814, 
be was appointed its first cashier. This institution, which was in- 
corporated under the general omnibus bank Act, passed by the 
Legislature over the veto of Gov. Simon Snyder, has been the most 
successful bank created by that legislation, for although a large 
number of similar corporations started up under the provisions of 



Historic Buildings in Chester. Ill 

the statute, the great majority of them failed within a few years, 
John Newbold was the first President, and, as stated before, Pres- 
ton Eyre was cashier. While the banking house — just torn down 
to erect on its site a more imposing and convenient structure — was 
being built, the business of the institution was carried on in the 
house of the cashier, the one of which I am now writing. It is re- 
lated that at that period it was the style among the fashionable ladies 
of the larger cities to wear short dresses and pantalets which de- 
scended to their ankles, and thus attired to make their appfearance 
in public. A damsel of Chester was desirous of introducing this 
new-fangled mode to the denizens of this locality, and, therefore, 
dressing herself in the costume mentioned, with all the concomi- 
tant articles necessary to complete the approved toilet, she ven- 
tured into the street for an afternoon stroll. The uncouth lads of 
Chester at that day, many of whom had no more knowledge of 
Philadelphia than of Peking, looked on at the strange sight with 
astonishment, and the boys near by called to their companions at a 
distance, for school was just dismissing, until the lady found her- 
self surrounded by ragged urchins of all sizes, who capered, shouted 
and made all manner of game of her. She tried to drive them 
away, but every time she routed them in one direction, they charged 
at her in another, until completely exhausted she fled into the dwel- 
ling of Preston Eyre for refuge, where she remained until night- 
fall, when she hastened home under cover of the darkness, resolv- 
ing never again to attempt setting the fashion. 

When the new banking house was completed the old dwelling 
was rented to various tenants, although the title was retained by 
Preston Eyre, even after he had resigned his position in the bank, 
and following Greeley's advice, before Greeley ever announced his 
celebrated cure for all business ill, had gone West. March 24, 
1844, Preston Eyre conveyed the premises to Hon. Edward Dar- 
lington, who married a daughter of Eyre's, and had lived in the 
dwelling several years before he purchased it. Mr. Darlington was 
admitted to the Delaware county bar April 9, 1821. He was ap- 
pointed Deputy Attorney General for Delaware county soon after 
his admission and prosecuted for the Commonwealth in the trial of 
Willington, Labbe and Buys, in 1824, for the murder of Bonsall. 
He was Kepresentative of this district in Congress for three con- 



128 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

secutive terms from 1833 to 1839, and was at that time in full 
practice in his profession. About fifteen years ago Mr. Darlington 
retired from active work, and to-day, although in his eighty-eighth 
year, his faculties are not impaired, and he delights to relate his 
recollections of past generations to the attentive auditory of this. 

Hon. Edward Darlington, November 13, 1858, conveyed the 
premises to Jane Flavill, wife of Edward E Flavill. Mrs. Flavill, 
now well stricken in years, has been an active business woman all 
her life, and built a number of houses in the Borough when the 
hamlet began to arouse its sluggish energies. The building now 
owned and occupied by the First National Bank was erected by 
her. March 25, 1863, she sold the house and part of the ground 
she purchased from Mr. Darlington to Thomas Moore, who carried 
on therem a successful hardware business for many years, when he 
retired and now devotes his attention to scientific study and inves- 
tigation. To Mr. Moore's efforts is due the organization of the 
Chester Institute of Science and Mechanic Arts, a body which is 
destined to be of much influence in developing a desire for higher 
and better education among the great mass of our citizens. 



Tlie Thomas barton House. 

John Wade, of Essex House, by his deed, July 27-8, 1736, con- 
veyed to Thomas Barton a tract of ground which from the peculiar 
bend in Chester creek, its eastern boundary, was known as the 
" iJorse Shoe." The plot contained a trifle over seventy-one acres, 
and was sold subject to the payment of ten shillings annually for- 
ever, toward the support of a free school in Philadelphia. In Sep- 
tember of the same year, John Wade conveyed twenty-two and a 
half acres to Thomas Barton in addition to those already purchased, 
subject to two shillings yearly forever, for the like purpose, which 
charge on the land had been created by the will of Robert Wade. 



Historic Buildings in Chester, 129 

Subsequently, the directors accepted a ground rent on Arch street, 
Philadelphia, and discharged the Wade estate from the payment of 
the annual rent mentioned. 

Thomas Barton, who was an Irishman, is said to have been a sea 
captain, and retiring from that avocation, he settled in Chester, 
where he married and became the ancestor of the Barton family of 
Delaware county. He had, however, between the date of the pur- 
chase of this land and the conveyance of the estate to Jonas Pres- 
ton, been engaged in eoachmaking, for in the deed to the latter, 
February 19, 1759, the grantors are described as "Thomas Barton, 
coachmaker, and Susanna, his wife," and in referring to the Wade 
deeds, it is stated "the said Thomas Barton has since (1736) erect- 
ed a brick messuage or tenement thereon." This house is still 
standing in the rear of Joshua P. Eyre's mansion on Seventh street. 

Jonas Preston was the youngest son of William Preston, of 
Bradley, Yorkshire, England, (who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 
1718, and settled in Bucks county, where William died previous to 
1722, for in that year his widow married Thomas Canby.) Jonas 
was born in England, in 1710. He married, when quite a young 
man, Jane Paxson, who became the mother of eleven children, and 
dying in 1749, the widower married a widow, Sarah Carter — her 
maiden name was Plumsley — but she dying in 1754, Jonas, who 
had removed to this neighborhood about two years before that date, 
married for the third time in 1756, his bride on this occasion being 
Hannah, widow of Wm. Lewis, of Haverford. She died after a 
brief marriage life, and Jonas, being as susceptible to the blandish- 
ments of attractive widows as was the late Tony Weller, again took 
unto himself a helpmate, in 1763, the fourth wife of his bosom 
being Mary, widow of John Lee, of Chester, and daughter of John 
and Abigail Yarnall, of Edgmont. By his fourth wife Jonas had 
one son. Dr. Jonas Preston, one of the most finished characters the 
annals of our Commonwealth can furnish. The elder Jonas, al- 
though he may not have had an eye to accumulation, yet out of his 
four speculations in matrimony he contrived to wed three widows, 
each with considerable estates. He died in New Castle, Delaware, 
February 1, 1772. One year previous to his death, Jonas T^^reston, 
Sr., and Mary, his wife, (January 16, 1771,) by deed of gift, con- 
veyed the house and grounds to Thomas 8harpless and Martha, his 



im Historical: Sketch of Chester: 

wife. Martha was Jonas Preston, Sr.'s daughter by his first wife^ 
Jane Paxson. 

Jonas Preston, the jonnger, was born in the old dwelling, Janu- 
ary 25, 1764. He read medicine with Dr. Bond, of Philadelphia, 
attended lectures at the Pennsylvania Hospital, and after the usual 
course of medical instruction attainable at that time in the TTnited 
States, he went to Europe, graduating at the University of Edin- 
burgh in 1785, and subsequently attemfed lectures at Paris. On 
his return to this country, he located at Wilmington, Delaware, for 
a short time, and removed to Georgia, but returning to Chester he 
entered energetically into the duties of his profession, and soon ac- 
quired an extensive practice in Chester and Delaware counties, 
confining himself almost entirely to obstetrics, in which special de- 
partment he soon established a reputation extending beyond the 
limits of the territory mentioned. During the Whisky Insurrec- 
tion, in 1794, he volunteered as surgeon in the army. This caused 
him to be expelled from meeting, but he frequently said, Friends 
might disown him, but he would not disown them. He represented 
Delaware county for eight terms in the Legislature, from 1794 t» 
1802, and in 1808 he was elected State Senator, whei'e he was dis- 
tinguished for his liberal views and sagacious foresight. About 
1817, he removed from Chester to Philadelphia, but previously was 
elected President of the Bank of Delaware County, succeeding 
John Newbold. While here he was an ardent advocate of all meas- 
ures having for their object agricultural improvements. After his 
removal to Philadelphia he enjoyed a large and remunerative prac- 
tice, but notwithstanding his busy life he had time to take an ac- 
tive part in many benevolent objects. He was a constant visitor to 
that end at the Pennsylvania Hospital and Friends' Asylum, at 
Frankford. He was also a Director of the Pennsylvania Banky 
Schuylkill Navigation Company and other corporations. During 
his long professional career he had so frequently seen distress 
among the honest poorer classes, that when he died, Monday, April 
4, 1836, he left by will four hundred thousand dollars " towards 
founding an institution for the relief of indigent married women 
of good character, distinct and unconnected with any hospital, 
where they may be received and provided with proper obstetric aid 
for their delivery, with suitable attendance and comforts during 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 131 

xbeir period of weakness and susceptibility, which ensues." Under 
this provision in his will was established Preston's Retreat, m 
Fhilad^phia, one of the noblest institutions of enlarged charity 
within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Dr. Preston was 
buried in Friends' grave yard, on Edgmont avenue, in this city, but 
Ms remains have been removed therefrom in recent years. 

WilliaiTi Sharpless, and Ann, his wife, March 12, 1806, conveyed 
the old house to Jonas Eyre, the nephew by marriage, of the grant- 
ors. His father, Isaac Eyre, having married Ann Preston, a sister 
of Martha, William Sharpless' first wife. Jonas Eyre, married m 
1761, but his wife died a few years aftenvards, leaving two sons, 
and the widower married the second time, November 11, 1801, Su- 
sanna, daughter of Joshua and Mai-y Pusey. By the second wife 
he had two sons who grew to manhood, William and Joshua Pusey 
Eyre. Jonas Eyre died March 21, 1836, and by his will, June 4, 
1834, devised the real estate under consideration to the two named 
sons in equal shares. 

Joshua P. Eyre and his brother William, early in life, embarked 
an business in Chester, for many years keeping a general country 
iJtore, and at the same time were interested in freighting in the 
-' Jonas Preston," the Chester packet, owned by them. They ac- 
cumulated large means, and at one time were all-powerful in poli- 
tics in the county. Joshua P. Eyre, during the years 1840-'41, 
was a member of the Legislature; he was a Director of the Dela- 
ware County Bank, and one of the Directors of the Delaware 
County Insurance Company, as was also his brother William. 

William Eyre married Anna Louisa, daughter of Dr. Job H. 
Terrill. She died leaving one son, Joshua P. Eyre, Jr. By his 
■second wife, Rebecca Pusey, daughter of Caleb Churchman, he had 
three children, Caleb C, William P., and Rebecca Eyre, the latter 
now Mrs. William Wilson. William Eyre died many years before 
his brother, Joshua P., whose death occurred April 1, 1872. In 
the distribution of the estate, the old house became the property 
of Joshua P. Eyre, Jr., who lived in the ancestral home for many 
jears, and now, although he has built a stately dwelling almost im- 
mediately in front of the old house, he steadfastly refuses to raze 
the antiquated structure to the ground, but keeps it in repairs be- 



132 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

cause of the many recollections and memories associated with the 
family homestead. 



Tlie Old Lloyd House, Second and Edgmonf 

^4 venue. 

Pavid Lloyd obtained title for the green, or the church land ly- 
ing between the creek and Welsh street, and south of Neeles Laer- 
son's tract of ground to the river Delaware, December 28, 1693, by- 
deed from the church wardens of the SAvedish congregation, " at 
Wiccocoe," which act on his part is criticised severely by Rev. Mr. 
Ross, in his letter, June 21, 1714, to the Society for the Propaga- 
tion of the Gospel in Foreign Parts • " Ye Glebe lands," he said, 
alluding to this tract, " was irreligiously sold by some Swedes un- 
der ye name of church wardens, to a powerful Quaker, who now 
plows and sows it, and disposes of it at his pleasure, but 'tis 
hoped his precarious title will be one day inquired into, and the 
Church restored to her rights again." This ti-act, which had been 
given to the Swedes' church by Armgardt " Pappegoya," could not 
be wrenched out of the strong grasp of David Lloyd, and notwith- 
standing the determined opposition of Jasper Yeates, he succeeded 
in having the land confirmed to him by the Proprietary Govern- 
ment. 

That the house at the south-east corner of Edgmont avenue and 
Second street was built by David Lloyd seems absolutely certain, 
since in his deed to William Pickles, May 4, 1703, it is specifically 
set out in the indenture that the house was at that time erected. 
Its appeaaance supports the statement, for its architecture marks 
it as potemporaneous with the Logan and Hoskins houses. Pickles 
died seized of the premises, and his executors, Jasper Yeates and 
Thomas Powell, March 26, 1709, sold the house to John Baldwin, 
and the latter, by will, April 2, 1731, devised the estate to his 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 133 

grandsons, John Baldwin and John Pierce. These devisees, Bald- 
win's wife, Anna, joining in the deed, April 4, 1758, conveyed the 
property to Jonas Preston, the father of Dr. Jonas Preston, which 
family I have mentioned fully in the account of the Thomas Barton 
House. After the old dwelling came into the possession of Jonas 
Preston, he built a wharf on the creek, part of the stone work now 
standing, and on the site of the present ice house by the creek 
side, he erected a stone store house which stood until after the 
middle of this century, when it had degenerated into a place to 
keep swine. Jonas Preston died intestate, and March 16, 1773, 
Martha, a daughter, who had married Thomas Sharpless, took this 
property at its appraised value in proceeding in partition of her fa- 
ther's estate, and four days after she sold the premises to John 
Wall, a merchant of Philadelphia, who had married Hannah Grubb, 
widow of Richard Flower, of Chichester. The purchaser never 
lived in the house, but after May 16, 1777, John Flower, (Wall's 
step-son) on his marriage to Elizabeth Beethom, at the Chester 
Meeting, resided in the old building It is traditionally stated 
that Elizabeth Flower was so alarmed when the battle of Bran- 
dywine was fought — the noise of the distant cannonading could be 
heard in Chester — that she was taken ill, and so serious were the 
effects of her fright that she lingered a long time on the eve of 
dissolution, and died in October of the following year. This blow 
was so serious to her husband that it tinged his remaining years 
with a sadness that he could never shake off or overcome. Who 
occupied the house thereafter I have been unable to learn, but Feb- 
ruary 20, 1782, John Wall and wife sold the estate to William Sid- 
dons, subject to £Q 4s. Od., the dower of the widow of Jonas 
Preston, and at her death ,£103 6s 8d., the principal, to the lat- 
ter's heirs. 

William Siddons, during the latter part of the eighteenth cen- 
tury, was unfortunately charged with the murder of a peddler of 
jewelry, who was found with his throat cut near Munday's run, and 
the body robbed of all the money the dead man was supposed to 
have had about him at the time of the homicide. When the crime 
was perpetrated and Siddons was under suspicion, a rhymster of 
rude verse of that day, composed a ballad, beginning : 



134 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

" At Munday's Run, near Chester town, 
Old Siddons knocked the peddler down, 
And robbed him of his golden store 
And left him weltering in his gore." 

Siddons was arrested, indicted and tried, but on tlie hearing of 
tlie case he was enabled to prove a complete and uncontradicted 
alibi, while the prosecution (vas predicated purely on circumstan- 
tial evidence which failed to connect the accused in any direct way 
with the commission of the crime. The fact that he was charged 
by some of his neighbors with a felony of such hideous character 
embittered his entire after life. William Siddons died June 22, 
1820, and by his will he devised his estate for life to his wife, with 
remainder to his children. The old house after his death was oc- 
cupied by Hannah Pyewell, Samuel Pullen and other tenants until 
October 19, 1867, when William H. Lewis, Trustee, appointed by 
the Orphans' Court of Delaware county to make sale of the pro- 
perty, conveyed it to Lewis Ladomus. During the latter part of 
Mr, Ladomus' ownership of the house the premises were occupied 
as a restaurant by John Hanley, a well known citizen of Chester, 
from whom the Hanley Fire Company derived its name. " Jack" 
Hanley, who in the latter ten years of his life was totally blind, 
was in all probability a descendant from John of the same cogno- 
men, who was a prominent man and owner of large estates in Ches- 
ter, about the middle of the eighteenth century. The dwelling 
part of the ancient building is now occupied by Klvvood Long as a 
residence, and Emma Hewitt has a grocery in the store room at the 
corner of the streets. Lewis Ladomus conveyed the premises to 
Albert L. Bonnaffon, August 7, 1875, and he in turn sold the pro- 
perty to Jonathan Pennell, who now owns it. 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 135 



Tlis j^shbridge House, ^ 

The ancient dwelling standing on the east side of Edgmont ave* 
mie, between Second and Graham streets, is partly built on the site 
of the House of Defense. The ground on which it stands was part 
of the estate of Jasper Yeates, who devised it to certain of his 
heirs, for July 13, 1728, George McCall and Ann, his wife, (Jas' 
per's eldest daughter) and John Yeates, by release, granted this 
house and other lots to George Ashbridge. The latter was a 
Friend, who as early as 1688 emigrated, as a young man, to Penn- 
sylvania and settled near Chester. AVho it was built the house I 
fail to learn, but in all probability Geeorge McCall or John Yeates 
did, for the title to the ground was in these parties fully eight 
years after the death of Jasper Yeates, before they parted with the 
premises. Ashbridge, by his will, March 1, 1747 8, devised the 
estate to his second son, George, who seems to have been an adroit 
politician, for, elected to the General Assembly in 1743, he man- 
aged to maintain the confidence of Friends (he being one of the 
society) until 1773. How, for thirty consecutive years he contrived 
to avoid committing himself on many of-* the votes taken during 
the long French war, which appropriated men and money to carry 
on that struggle, is incomprehensible, but in the latter year the SO'^ 
ciety "report they have taken an oppty with one of the represent" 
atives in Assembly and that he do not apprehend culpable," and 
yet Judge Futhey, in his History of Chester county states that " it 
is somewhat singular that his vote on some of the questions was 
not called up for condemnation by the society to which he be- 
longed." That he was active in the Assembly and must have been 
a man of more than the general average out of which representa- 
tives are made, is evidenced by the perusal of the Journal of Sam- 
uel Foulke, (vol 5, Penna. Mag. of History, pp. 64, 65, 68 and 71.) 
The second George Ashbridge dying seized of the estate, the Or- 
phans' Court of Chester county, in proceedings in partition ad- 
judged the premises to his eldest son, George Ashbridge, the third 
of that name in the chain of title, who sold it May 5, 1797, to 
Dorothy Smith and Zedekiah Wyatt Graham, sister and brother of 



136 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Henry Hale Graham, as joint tenants. Dorothy, who had married 
John Smith, of Lower Ohichester, l'2th mo., 4, 1783, was a widow 
at this time. Zedekiah Graham was a wealthy hachelor, and the 
brother and sister lived together in this honse. Of the brother, 
Deborah Logan writes : " He was a man of such integrity and 
worth that 1 have heard him characterized as an Israelite, indeed, 
in whom there was no guile." The affection between them was so 
marked that in his will he gave to her the income of his whole es- 
tate during life, while she devised to her brother one-third of her 
property absolutely. Zedekiah Graham died of yellow fever in 
1798, and his sister, who nursed him in his illness was attacked by 
the scourge, and sent for her nephew, William Graham, who had 
abaniloned his home and fled to the country to escape the pesti- 
lence. It is related that the latter sat on his horse in the street, 
while the nurse from the second story window informed him as to 
the disposition his avmt wished to make of her estate ; thus the will 
was written, attached to a string and drawn up to the chamber of 
the dying woman who refused to permit any of her kin to visit her 
and thereby encounter the risk of infection. Hy her will, Novem- 
ber 17, 1798, (the whole title to the house having vested in her by 
survivorship) she devised it to her nephew and four nieces in equal 
parts. Three ot the nieces and the nephew conveyed their interests 
to Catharine G., the fourth niece, and wife of Capt. Thomas Rob- 
inson, in October, 1812. 

Thomas Kobinson was a captain in the merchants' service, but 
during the Tripolitan war a Lieutenant under Commodore Preble 
when that officer, in conmiand of the Aiuerican squadron bombard- 
ed Tripoli, June 21, 1804. llobiusoa was iu charge of one of the 
bombards — vessels carrying mortars — on that occasion ; the shrouds 
of his vessel were shot away, and her hull so shattered that it was 
with the utmost difficulty she could be kept above water. During 
the war of 1812, he was a volunteer Lieutenant in the Navy, and 
was on board the frigate " President '• when the latter vessel was 
captured. As will be remembered. Commodore Decatur, in com- 
mand of the " President," went to sea from New York, Janiuxry 
14, 1815, and at daylight the following morning the American offi- 
cer discovered that the English squadron, comprising the seventy- 
gun ship " Majestic," the lifty-guns frigates " Endymion," " Po- 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 187 

inonae " and " Tcnetlos " vv(;re in chase of the vessel, liy noon 
Decatur found that he was outsailing all of the enemy's ships ex- 
cept the " Endymion," which vessel had steadily gained on him, 
until at five o'clock in the evening that frigate had obtained a po- 
sition on his starboard quarter, and opened a destructive fire on 
the sails and rigging of his vessel. Decatur was compelled to bear 
up and engage the enemy in the hope of disabling her before the 
remaining vessels could arrive to her assistance. A warm action 
of two hours and a. half followed, which resulted in the British 
frigate dropping astern, her guns silenced and her masts gone by 
the board. During the latter part of the battle with the " Endym- 
ion," Eobinson had charge of the trumpet. It is stated that the 
first, fourth and fifth Lieutenants on the " President" were killed 
or wounded, and Decatur called for Lieutenant Gallagher to take 
the trumpet, but Robinson, " hearing the hail, came up from the 
gun deck," whereupon Decatur said : "Take the trum'pet, sir," and 
Robinson took command of the deck The American frigate made 
.sail and attempted to escape, but the English squadron had come 
within gunshot of the " President " while that vessel was engaged 
in the encounter with the " Endymion," and being crippled by the 
heavy fire she had sustained, Decatur was compelled to strike his 
flag to the British frigates "Tenedos" and "Pomonai." 

Captain Robinson, after his discharge as a prisoner of war — for 
the naval action was fought after the treaty of peace had been 
.signed — returne;! to the merchant service, but the news of the loss 
of the American packet ship "Albion" on the co;ist of Ireland, 
April '21, 1822, as well as the explosion of the ste.imboit " Essex " 
in New York hirljor, under his own comniiui, and the friglitful 
loss of life (HI tlir)se occasions, so inipresse I Robinson with the rc;- 
.sponsibility appertaining to the office of captain of a ve.ssei that he 
refused ever again to tike conmiand of a ship. 

Catharine (i Robin.son, his wife, died January 24, 1836, and by 
her will, February 27, 1884, devised the hous:; to her daughter, 
Sarali P. Combs. 

Sarah P. (Roljinsou) (^ouibs, in whom the property vested, lived 
in the old house for many years, and vacating it, she rented the 
dwelling to John Harris, a shipbuilder, and after several tenants 
had occupied it, the premises were leased to Mrs. Mary A. Wheat- 



138 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

on, mother of Chief of Police, Lewis D. Wheaton, who resided in 
the house for seventeen years, and vacated it only about a year ago, 
when the old building was rented as an office by Messrs. Black & 
Worrell, for their cocoa matHng works. Sarah P. Combs died 
March 5, 1865, and the title to the old Ashbridge house vested in 
her children, who still own the premises. 



Laiiiokin Hull. 

The original Salkeld House, built about 1708 by John Salkeld, 
Sr., as it now stands in the way of Norris street, between Third 
street and the P. W. & B. Railroad, must shortly be removed to 
make room for improvements on that thoroughfare. During the 
last half century it was used as the tenant house on the Kenilworth 
estate after John W. Ashmead built the large mansion, in 1838 — 
since torn down — and also by Dr. William Young, who purchased 
the estate in 1849. The Perkins' House, or as it was known to a 
past generation, " Lamokin Hall," was erected many years after- 
wards by John Salkeld, a son of the noted original emigrant of 
that name. 

John Bristow, to whom a large tract of land was granted by 
patent from the Proprietary, died seized of the estate, and his son 
John, an edge tool maker, February 25, 1702-3, conveyed to Henry 
Wooley, a goodly number of these acres. The latter in turn, Jan- 
uary 27, 1706-7, conveyed the premises to John Salkeld, a man of 
means and education, whose ready wit, and quickness in repartee, 
made him noted in his generation, and many of his telling rejoind- 
ers are recounted even to this day. Salkeld visited this country in 
1700, before he settled permanently here, and on the 9th of 7th 
month, 1705, he and his wife Agnes (Powley) sailed for Philadel- 
phia. In the following year he purchased the property mentioned 
and came to this vicinity to reside. He was an effective preacher, 



^- 



Historic Buildings in Chester . 139 

nncl made many relioious visits to neighboring meetings in Pennsyl- 
vania, New Jersey and Delaware, and several times to New Eng- 
land, Long Island, and on one occasion to Great Britain, and the 
West Indies. He, as I have already stated, was a natural humor- 
ist, and a few of the stories which have descended to our own time 
will repay narrating : 

One day Salkeld was wearing a new hat that had a button and 
loop, then quite fashionable, and he was remonstrated with by a 
Friend for adhering to the usages and customs of the world. John 
tore off the offending part of his apparel, remarking : " If my 
friend's religion consists of a button and a loop I would not give a 
button and a loop for it." On another occasion, when at a meeting 
of Friends, the speaker who was addressing the audience being so 
tedious that man} in the assembly were almost asleep, Salkeld 
sprang to his feet, exclaiming: "Fire! firel" Every one was 
awake immediately, and many put the query: "Where?" "In 
hell!" responded John, " to burn up the drowsy and unconverted." 
After he returned from a religious journey to New Jersey, he said : 
" I have breakfiisted with the Ladds. dined with the Lords, and 
slept with the Hoggs," the names of the families that entertained 
him. One time as he walked from his corn field, a Friend, by the 
name of Cloud passing by, said : " John, thee will have a good crop 
of corn." Salkeld afterwards relating the circumstance, stated 
that he heard a voice coming out of a Cloud, saying: " John, thee 
will have a good crop of corn." He rode at one time a horse with 
a blaze in its face, and a neighbor who thought to be merry with 
him, said : " John, thy horse looks pale in the face." "Yes, he 
does," he replied ; " and if thee had looked as long through a hal- 
ter as he has, thee would be pale in the face too." He was at 
times forgetful, and on one occasion when visiting Friends in New 
Jersey, he took his daughter Agnes with him, riding, as women then 
often did, on a pillion, strapped on the saddle behind her father. 
After the assembly dispersed he entirely forgot his daughter, and 
mounting his horse rode away leaving her at the meeting house. 

He was personally about medium size, but his wife, Agnes, was 
very tall and muscular, hence her descendants, who are all notice- 
ably tall, inherit this characteristic from her. John Salkeld died 
September 20, 1739, and by will devised the farm of one hundred 



140 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

acres, on which his house stood, to his son, David Salkeld, and left 
the plot of ground whereon Lamokin Hall was subsequently built, 
to his wife, Agnes, and she, by will, 7th mo., 11, 1748, devised the 
estate to John Salkeld, the younger. The latter, in 1731, had mar- 
ried Elizabeth Worrall, who became the mother of thirteen child- 
ren. John Salkeld, the younger, by will, December 13, 1776, de- 
vised his real estate to his eight children, (the others had died in 
chilehood) in equal parts, his whole estate, however, being charged 
with his wife's support. In the distribution of the property the 
land under consideration was allotted to his son Peter, who built 
the western end of Lamokin Hall. December 7, 1789, he sold the 
property to Jacob Peterson. The latter conveyed it to James 
Withey who made the addition to the eastern end of the old house 
about 1796. 

It will be seen that there is an error in my account of the Co- 
lumbia House, where T say that Mary Withey Lad purchased this 
property. That statement was based on tradition. In the deed 
from Robert Fairlamb, Sheriff, April 12, 1819, to Charles Justice 
and William Graham, he states that the estate had been taken in 
execution as tlie property of James Withey. 

The purchasers interchanged deeds, dated February 27, 1821, by 
which Charles Justice acquired absolute title to the land south of 
the Post road, and William Graham that north of the same high- 
way. The latter having trust money belonging to his sisters in his 
hands at the time of his death, Lamokin Hall was in the distribu- 
tion of his estate, transferred to his sister Henrietta, who had mar- 
ried Richard Flower. The latter was the owner of the noted 
" Chester Mills," now Upland, and while there made several suc- 
cessful ventures in shipping flour to Europe. When the misunder- 
standing existed between France and the United States, previous 
to 1800, he, in connection with his brother John, his half brother 
Reece Wall, and his brother-in-law, Capt. John McKeever, loaded 
three vessels with flour and cleared them for Liverpool. All three 
of the ships were captured by French cruisers and condemned in 
French prize courts, although one of the vessels was within sixty 
miles of the Delaware bay when taken. During the war of 1812, 
the American troops were instructed to impress all the flour at 
Chester mills for the army, but the Government paid full value for 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 141 

all that was taken. The loss Mr. Flower sustained by French spo- 
liation, however, so cramped him that he was never able again to 
carry on business largely, and, indeed, that incident seemed to 
crush out his desire to seek a foreign market tor his breadstufFs. 
He reached an advanced age, dying in 1843, in his eighty-fourth 
year. Mr. Flower was at one time County Commissioner He and 
his fellow commissioners were told that they were entitled to %\ a 
day as compensation, and that if they made a visit to one locality to 
look after public improvements, and the s?.me day another locality 
was visited on a similar errand, the commissioners were accustomed 
to charge two days' fees. Acting on the traditionary custom, the 
commissioners for that year managed to crowd five hundred and 
eighty days into the twelve months. 

John W. Ashmead, who had built the house on the farm adjoin- 
ing, after the death of his father-in-law, Mr. Flower, purchased the 
estate, June 3, 1844, from Hon. Edward Darlington, trustee to sell 
the property, for the purpose solely of adding a trifle over an acre 
to the lawn of his dwelling, so that his house should be located in 
the centre of the lawn. After thoroughly repairing Lamokin Hall, 
he sold it September 5, 1846, to Abram R. Perkins, for $6,000. 
The latter had been a successful merchant in Philadelphia, but his 
purchase of the property at that price, thirty-six years ago, was, 
perhaps, in the shaping of events one of the most fortunate transac- 
tions in his business career, for the premises in that period have so 
increased in valve that it alone has made his estate worth thirty 
times what it originally cost him. 



1 4^ Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Jacob Howell House. 

The small stone building on the east side of Edgmont avenue, 
above Third street, which is jammed in between the northern end 
of the City Hotel, and an addition to the Uowell House itself, made 
by Isaac Eyre, now used as a Chinese laundry, has had compara- 
tively few owners The land was patented by William Petm to 
Randle Vernon, March 4, 1681, and the latter conveyed the estate, 
the lot on the .vest and one on the east side of Edgmont avenue, to 
Jacob Howell, June 16, 1714. On the lot thus conveyed on the 
east side of the street, Howell built the stone structure and lived 
there until May 13, 1764, when he conveyed the estate to Isaac 
Eyre, who built the brick addition to the north of the dwelling. 
Justice P]yre for many years kept a general store in the old build- 
ing at the south-east corner of Third street and Edgmont avem'e, 
at the time he was carrying on business at his tan yard across the 
street. In 1798, when the yellow fever was raging in Chester, a 
woman came to Isaac Eyre, who was then Burgess, demanding that 
he should remove a person ill with the scourge from her house, and 
threatened, if he did not, she would bring the sick lad to the home 
of the Burgess. " If you do, I'll shoot you before you cross my 
doorstep," said the latter. 'Squire Eyre was not afraid personally 
of the disease, for he had nursed several persons who were ill with 
it ; but he was determined, if he could prevent it, the fever should 
no*- bo introduced into his family, which was an unusually large one. 
He is said to have been more than equal to Horace Greeley in pen- 
manship, particularly when he wrote hurriedly, for frequently, after 
the letters got cold, the 'Squire himself could not read his own chi- 
rocraphy, as is said to have happened with Rufus Cboate and others 
distinouished for their eccentric handwriting. It is stated that on 
one occasion when a case was being heard before Judge Cox, who 
was somewhat irascible during the trial of a suit, and the matter 
bein^an appeal from a judgment given by 'Squire Eyre, his docket 
was sent for. The counsel who desired to use it opened at the 
name of the case ; that he could make out, but the inscription on 
the Rosetta stone was not more difficult for him to decipher than 
were the characters in the words written within that docket. He 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 143 

twisted it in all directions, but without avail ; not a word could he 
make out. The Judge at last nervously said : " Hand me the dock- 
et ; I never saw writing I could not read." The bulky volume was 
carried up lo the bench, and His Honor dropped his glasses on the 
bridge of his nose and gazed earnestly on the page. The tasK was 
more than he had expected. His face grew scarlet, and the law- 
yers tittered, while it is said even the tipstaffs smiled audibly. 
" Send for 'Squire Eyre ;" at last His Honor said, hotly. It was 
done, and the Justice presented himself in Court. " Is this your 
docket, 'Squire?" said Judge Cox. " I suppose so, but I can tell 
if I can look at it," quickly answered the 'Squire. The Judge 
handed down the docket, and said : " Be good enough to read us 
your entry in this case." "Certainly," replied the Justice, and he 
took out the large spectacles then recently invented, called temple 
glasses, which were exceeding fashionable, and looked carefully 
over the page. Several minutes elapsed, not a word escaped the 
'Squire, and the symptoms of a general laugh began to manifest 
themselves throughout the audience. Then the 'Squire drew him- 
self up and said : " May it please the Court, the law requires me to 
keep a docket, and make an entry of cases heard before me, for 
the benefit of this Court and the public. I have done that, but i 
fail to learn that any law compels me to read that entry for any 
person ; that is the duty of the Court," h.i\<\ that docket entry 
never was read, at least not before the Court of Common Pleas of 
Delaware county. 

After the death of 'Squire Eyre, his daughters lived in the house 
until 1874, when it was sold to Stephen Cloud, who now owns it. 

The house on the opposite side of the way, where F. J. Hinkson, 
Jr., has his leather store, was built by 'Squire Eyre The exact 
time I do not know, but Marfh 25, 1826, William Neal, the school- 
master at the old school house, torn down in 1874, bought it from 
the heirs of Isaac Eyre, and March 23, 1833, he sold it to Job 
Rulon, who, in turn, March 23, 1 870, conveyed the estate to Fred- 
erick J. Hinkson, who by will devised it to his sons, Henry and 
Frederick J. Hinkson, Jr. 



144 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



The GrVdj^ House. 

Although the substantial brick structure at the north-west cor- 
ner of Fifth and Market streets is not very ancient, it having been 
built not more than forty years ago, yet the old house, which for- 
merly occupied part of the site of the present building, as well as 
the house in which Mrs Dr. Gray still resides has connected with 
it much interesting history appertaining to the olden time and for- 
mer residents of Chester. 

The land on which it stands was part of the grant of twenty acres 
of land confirmed to James Sandelands, the elder, by patent May 
31, 1686. James Sandelands, it seems, sold the property to Roger 
Jackson, but died before he effectually conveyed the premises to 
Jackson The latter, in his will, dated January 13, 1711, devised 
this lot, whereon he had built a house, to his " loving friend, Jo- 
seph Baker, the elder, of Edgmont, * * and Thomas Powell, 
of Providence, ^ * and their heirs my dwelling house and lots 
of land * * situate, lying and being in the said town of Ches- 
ter, which Janies Sandelands in his life time sold but not effectually 
conveyed to me, in trust, to sell the estate for the payment of debts 
and divide the residue thereof equally amongst such or so many 
of my relations in England as shall within seven years after my de- 
cease come over here." However, Jonas SanJelands and Mary, his 
wife, by deed, March 20, 1712, conveyed the premises, of which he 
was then in occupancy, to Roger Jackson, reserving a yearly rent 
of six shillings payable on the 25th day of March in each and every 
year forever Thomas Powell died before Roger Jackson, and Jo- 
seph Baker took upon himself the duties of the trust, but he dying, 
left his son, John Baker, as executor of his estate, who, as such 
executor, October 4, 1717, conveyed a part of tlie estate of Roger 
Jackson to William Backingham. The latter, August 14, 1721, 
conveyed the premises to John Price, who had before Roger Jack- 
son's death, purchased from him, May 26, 1715, a part of the land 
conveyed to him by Sandelands. On March 25, 1724, John Price 
purchased from John Baker the remaining part of the Jackson es- 
tate. Price died in 1726. By his will, February, 1726, he left to 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 145 

his wife, Catharine, one-half interest in his real property. The 
widow married William Frehorn, who, by his will, May 2, 1736, 
left his estate to his wife, and she subsequently intermarried with 
John Hanley, who, with Catharine, his wife, by a deed, January 29, 
1742-3, conveyed to Joseph Parker the interest of Catharine in the 
estate, and Joseph Parker, by deed dated February 9, of the same 
year, conveyed the half interest to John Hanley. Catharine Han- 
ley having died, the widower married a second time, and by his 
will. May 12, 1769, he devised unto his wife, Eleanor, the lot 
bounded by Fifth street. Market street and Edgmont avenue, ex- 
cepting a part to the north end of the triangles belonging to Henry 
Hale Graham, and a lot which he had sold to Caleb Cobourn, during 
his lifetime. Eleanor Hanley subsequently married John Hogan, a 
kinsman of John Hanley, to whom the latter by his will had de- 
vised the brick house on Fifth street to the east of the Columbia 
House and now a part of that hotel. The interest of John Price, 
the heir of John Price, the elder, was absorbed into that of the 
Hogans, and a mortgage was given him February 10, 1772, cover- 
ing the property under consideration as well as the brick house on 
Fifth street. On May 24, 1774, John Hogan and Eleanor, his wife, 
mortgaged both the properties mentioned to Hugh Mcllvain, for 
j650, and defaulting in the payment, Nicholas Fairlamb, Sheriff, 
sold the lot on the north side of Fifth and Market streets, May 9, 
1791, to William Richardson Atlie. The latter married Marga- 
retta, the only daughter of Gren. Anthony Wayne, and having been 
appointed one of the Justices and Clerk of the Courts of Dela- 
ware county in 1789, came to this city in 1790, and resided in the 
old house. Atlie having built a stable and improved the property, 
on March 25, 1795, sold it to John Crosby, of Ridley, who, No- 
vember 23, of the same year, conveyed it to James Withey; the 
latter in turn, December 15, 1796, sold it to Dr. William Martin. 

Dr. Martin, the grandfather of John Hill Martin, the author of 
the " History of Chester and its Vicinity," was a man of much pro- 
minence. He was a physician as well as a lawyer, a Justice of 
the Peace, and Chief Burgess of Chester, and in April, 1798, when 
Washington passed through Chester on his way to Philadelphia, Dr. 
Martin made the address of congratulation to the President on be- 
half of the town. It was in this^year ftiat the yellow fever visited 



146 Historical Sketch of Chester, 

Chester as a fearful scourge. Dr. Martin, it is stated, was much 
alarmed, and seemed to feel that he would die of the pestilence, 
ft is said that he frequently rode to the windows of the houses 
where persons were sick with the fever, would learn the condition 
of the patient, and prescribe and furnish the medicine without en- 
tering the dwelling. 

In September of that year, however, a British vessel was lying 
off Chester with all hands down with the fever. Dr. Martin was 
sent for : he attended, and as he had feared, he contracted the dis- 
ease fn m which he died, September 28, 1798. His wife, Eleanor 
Martin, administered, and by order of Court she sold the premises 
January 13, 1799, to John Flower, in trust, to the use of Hannah 
Wall, and at her death to her children, John Flower, Richard 
Flower, Jemima McKeever and Reese Wall, and in the event of the 
death of Reese Wall, without issue and intestate, to his half-bro- 
thers and sister in equal parts. Reese Wall was drowned in the 
Delaware bay in the early part of the present century, and Hannah 
Wall died February 24, 1810. On February 24, 1824, Richard 
Flower, of Chester Mills, (noAv Upland) and wife, conveyed his 
one-third interest to his brother John, who, by his will, February 
14, 1825, devised his two- third interest in this property to William 
Gr. Flower, who was for many years afterwards the lessee of the 
Chester Mills, and whose almost miraculous escape from drowning 
during the freshet of 1843, is still remembered by the older resi- 
dents of this city. 

Jemima McKeever, grandmother of the late John Burrows Mc- 
Keever, and of Harriet B. McKeever, the authoress, of this city, 
conveyed her interest in the estate, June 10, 1826, to William Gr. 
Flower. During the latter's ownership of the house it was occu- 
pied by Archibald T. Dick, until he built the old Eyre mansion, 
now the Chester Republican League House. On April 15, 1834, 
William G. Flower sold the premises to Joseph M. Gr. Lescure. 
The latter in 1825 had purchased the material and printing estab- 
lishment of the Post Boy, from Eliphalet B. Worthington, changing 
the title of the paper to the Upland Union, or Delaware County, 
Kingsessing and BlocMey Advertiser, a folio sheet, five columns to a 
page, which paper he continued to publish in the Borough until 
1838, when he sold it to Joseph Williams and Charles T. Coates. 



Historic Buildings in Chester, 147 

The office of publication was in the frame building then standing 
on Fifth street, west of his dwelling, after he purchased the pro- 
perty on which Mrs. Gray's house now stands. The Upland Union 
was strongly Democratic in its leanings, and the late Y. S. Walter, 
in the Republican, always alluded to it as the " Upland Onion," 
while Lescure, in return, dubbed the Delaware County Republican.; 
then published in Darby, as the " Darby Ram." Joseph M. Gr. 
Lescure and Catharine, his wife, August 15, 1836, sold the property 
to Dr. William Gray, whose widow still owns it. Shortly after Dr. 
Gray acquired title to the premises, and while he was absent several 
months on a visit to recruit his health at the springs of Virginia, 
his wife caused the old building to be torn down and the present 
house to be erected in its stead. Peter Gamble was the builder. 
The doctor, on his return, was agreeably surprised to find that in 
his absence a new mansion, ample in its proportions and finished in 
a style of elegance for that day, had taken the place of the ancient 
stone dwelling which had formerly occupied a part of the site of 
the new structure. 

Dr. Vrilliam Gray, a member of the well-known family of Gray, 
of Gray's Ferry, was for many years one of the most noted men of 
the county. In early life he had gone to his uncle, Thomas Steel, 
a miller in Darby, to learn that business, but finding the occupation 
uncongenial he abandoned it, and studied medicine under his rela- 
tion. Dr. Warfield, of Maryland. After he graduated, he married 
Martha Bonsall, and settled in Chester, where for many years he 
had a large and lucrative practice as a physician. He died May 12, 
1864. The doctor will be recalled to the recollection of the old 
residents of Chester as one whose visits, whether in the discharge 
of the duties of his profession or of those of social life, were al- 
ways received with pleasure by the household to whom they were 
made.. 



Historical Sketch of Ghesie? 



The Turner [Slidw\ Souse. 

I thought until very recently that part of the old house standing 
at the north-east corner of Third street and Concord avenue, da- 
ted back over a hundred and fifty years, but I have learned from 
Mrs. Shaw that the old Turner House was torn down by James 
Shaw, in 1796, and the eastern portion of the ancient structure 
was erected by him at that time, while the western addition was 
built in 18'27, when it was the estate of Jane (Sharpless) Shaw, who 
married a second time, in 1808, David Bevan. We know that John 
Salkeld, Sr., in his will, in 1733, devised the property to his son, 
Thomas, and the latter, January 26, 1741, sold it to William Tur- 
ner, who is designated in the deed as "merchant'' Previous to 
this purchase. Turner occupied the dwelling thereon erected as 
Thomas Salkeld's tenant, for in 1739, Bampfylde Moore Carew 
mentions that in that yeir he called on Mrs. Turner and obtained 
money from her, as stated elsewhere in this volume. The dwelling 
and ground in all probability was acquired by Edward Turner by 
descent, for in 1770, the premises were taken in execution by Jesse 
Maris, Sheriff, and sold as the property of Edward Turner, May 28, 
of that year, to Samuel Shaw. The purchaser was the first of his 
name in Chester county, having been born in Lincolnshire, in 1707, 
and previous to his leaving England was in the military service of 
his King, for in a petition he presented to the Justice of the 
Courts, March 26, 1764, asking to be relieved from the duties of 
Constable of Chester township, he set forth that fact, as well as 
that he has formerly dwelt in Philadelphia, where he was commis- 
sioned by the Governor as a Major and Captain of a company of 
soldiers, in which capacity he instructed not only his own command, 
but '• did discipline several other companies as well, without any 
reward from the Grovernment." hX the time the office of Constable 
was appurtenant to the land, and each real estate owner had to dis- 
charge that duty in turn, as will be apparent from an examination 
of the old records at West Chester. In 1752, Samuel Shaw owned 
the noted Chester Mills, now Upland, and erected a dam breast 
across the creek in that year, as appears from several affidavits in 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 149 

possession of the Crozer family among many old papers and maps 
relating to the title of the mill site and lands appertaining 
thereto. Samuel Shaw died September 20, 1783, intestate, and the 
property at Concord road and Third street was awarded to his son, 
John Shaw, by order of Court, in partition of his estate. John 
Shaw, November 10, 1786, conveyed the estate to James Shaw, 
his half-brother ; John, the elder son, being a child of Samuel 
Shaw's first wife, Mary, and James a son of his second wife, Han- 
nah, daughter of Tristram Smith. It is related that when James 
Shaw married Jane Sharpless, daughter of Thomas and Martha 
(Preston) Sharpless, October 23. 1796, the newly married couple 
occupied for a time the Black Bear Inn, (now the Hinkson property 
at Penn and Third streets) as a dwelling, while the old Turner 
House was being torn down to make room for the new structure 
James Shaw was a noted sportsman in his day, and on one occasion 
he shot in an afternoon seventy-eight ducks. He used a double- 
barrelled gun, and fired at the birds that sat on the water, and dis- 
charged the second barrel as they rose, with the result above stated. 
So remarkable was it then thought that the fact was noted on the 
stock of his gun, an account being cut in the wood. After his death 
this gun was given by his widow to William Graham. James Shaw 
died early in the present century, leaving a will by which he ap- 
pointed Ephraim Pearson and Jane Shaw, (his widow) executors of 
his estate with power to sell the realty. In exercise of that author- 
ity the executors named, March 26, 1803, conveyed the premises to 
Wm. Graham, and he. May 2, the same year, transferred the estate 
to Jane Shaw, the widow, previous to her marriage with David Be- 
van. Mrs (Shaw) Bevan, by her will, December 5, 1843, devised the 
estate to her son, Samuel Shaw. The latter married Mary Ann, 
daughter of John and Isabella Eyre, of Upper Chichester, who, 
surviving her husband twenty years, is yet hale and hearty and still 
resides in the old homestead, the property having been devised to 
her by her late husband, September 5, 1840, his will having been 
made nearly twenty-two years before his death, which occurred 
May 9, 1862. Samuel Shaw was a farmer, and appointed a Justice 
of the Peace, and although he was an old-fashioned gentleman, 
punctilious in the observance of all the ceremonies of social inter- 
course, he was always courteous to young and old alike, and is 



150 Historical Sketch of Cheater. 

gratefully remembered by several of our citizens — themselves now- 
verging on to three-score and ten — for his consideration of the 
finer feelings of those who at that time were impulsive young men. 
Samuel and Mary Ann Shaw had two sons and a daughter. James, 
the eldest, was for many years a merchant in Chester, and is to-day 
a successful manufacturer at New Castle, Delaware, where he mar- 
ried Virginia, daughter of the late Major Joseph Carr. John Eyre 
Shaw, the second son, is a member of the Philadelphia bar, and, 
having devoted his attention to patent cases solely, has attained 
marked prominence in his profession, and a large and remunerative 
practice in the special line he has chosen. Emily Ann Shaw mar- 
ried William M. Burgin, of Philadelphia, and resides in that city. 



TAe James Barber House. 

On the north side of Second street west of Market stands an old 
brick house, with pent roof extending over the window of the first 
story, which building has in recent years been used as a bottling 
establishment and a restaurant. Its exact age I do not know, but 
the lot was conveyed by David Lloyd, James Lowns, and Susanna, 
his wife, to James Barber, November 27-28, 1712. This James 
Barber was, I presume, a brother of Robert Barber, the early set- 
tler of that name, who in 1690 married Hannah Ogden, and it may 
have been that it was Robert, a son of this James, to whom Robert 
Barber, the settler, devised his estate. At all events James Barber 
built the house, and in the deed, September 13, 1732, to Thomas 
Cummings, it is designated as " the house where James Barber 
now dwells " The purchaser was a member of the society of 
Friends, for in a declaration of trust. May 18, 1758, respecting a 
lot of ground on the east side of Edgmont avenue, south of Fourth 
street, which had been conveyed, August 26, 1757, to several per- 
sons by John Baldwin " with the intent that a school house shall 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 151 

be erected and built upon the said lot in the said township of 
Chester," Thomas Curamings is mentioned as one of the grantees, 
and is designated as " cordwainer." He had, however, previous to 
that date been a member of the Legislature, for in 1735, and sub- 
sequently for ten terms he was one of the eight members returned 
from Chester county to the General Assembly. He died previous 
to August 22, 1766, for his will was probated at that time, whereby 
he devised all his estate to his wife, Alice. She survived her hus- 
band many years, and by will, June 2, 1785, devised the estate to 
her nieces, Hannah Cummings and Elizabeth Pedrick, in equal 
shares, and they in turn, October 26, 1788, sold the house to Adam 
Grubb. 

The latter by will, March 9, 1790, devised the premises to Mary 
Grubb, his wife, with remainder to his cousins, John Grubb, Sr., 
and Isaac Grubb. The remainder men outlived the widow, for May 
12, 1794, they sold the property to Jonas Preston, and he conveyed 
it, January 17, 1806, to Jonas Eyre, while the latter, March 28. 
1811, transferred it to Thomas B. Dick, from whom the property 
descended to bis son, Archibald T. Dick. Almost all the owners 
of this old house have been fully referred to in previous sketches, 
and it is unnecessary to recapitulate what is there said of them, 
and as respecting the tenants of the dwelling, I have learned but 
little of intei-est. Previous and subsequently to 1824, George W, 
Hill, who was a clerk in the Bank of Delaware County, resided 
there, and was succeeded by Zedekiah W. Flower, who had married 
a daughter of Archibald T. Dick, and from 1831 to 1835 it was the 
parsonage of St. Paul's Church, being occupied as-such by Dr. John 
Baker Clerason, while rector of that parish. He was followed by 
George W. Piper, who, after his marriage resided in the pent roof 
house for several years. Archibald T. Dick having died in the 
meantime, his estate was sold by Samuel Hibberd, Sheriff, in pro- 
ceeding in partition, May 27, 1844, to Edward Darlington, trustee 
of Sarah B., wife of Major Price. After the latter acquired title, 
Rev. Anson B. Hard, while associate rector of St. Paul's, lived 
there and was succeeded in time by Major Price himself. The 
property is still owned by the heirs of Samuel A., and Sarah B. 
Price, but the old house has drifted downward until, as with a 
goodly number of the historic buildings of Chester, it only awaits 



152 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

the advancing march of trade to be removed to make room for 
manufacturing and business establishments. And the time is al- 
most at hand when that decree will become imperative. 



The Caldwell Jlanslon. 

The handsome dwelling on the west side of Edgmont avenue, 
north of Twelfth street, since it was modernized by Col. Samuel A. 
Dyer, during his ownership of the property, is, nevertheless, an an- 
cient building. The ground upon which it stands is part of a tract 
of one hundred and twenty acres which was patented April 2, 1688, 
to Eusta Anderson. June 21, of the same year, Anderson conveyed 
it to Charles Pickering, who, it is said, came over with William 
Penn, and had, in his wandering in search of precious metal dis- 
covered silver ore near Pickering creek, a tributary of the Sohuyl- 
kill. Col. Pickering, for such was the title he was known by, re 
ceived a patent to the lands in Chester county bordering on that 
stream. In 1683, he was tried for privately coining "Spanish bits 
and Boston money," and was sentenced to a fine of forty pounds 
" toward building a court house," and to redeem all the currency 
he had issued. He appeared in a criminal case in Chester in 1686, 
as attorney for the King, the first appearance of an attorney in be- 
half of the government in the Commonwealth. He was drowned 
while on a voyage to Europe, subsequent to 1688, and by will he 
devised his real estate in Chester county, which was large, to six- 
teen of his friends. He had, however, October 1 3, of the year last 
mentioned, conveyed the property purchased from Anderson to 
David Lloyd, and he in turn sold twenty acres of it, subject to a 
yearly rent of one silver shilling, to John Hoskins, the elder, who 
dying seized of the estate, it passed by descent to his son, John 
Hoskins, the younger. The latter dying intestate, his widow, 
Ruth, and his son Stephen Hoskins, and his daughter Mary Hos- 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 153 

kins, and her husband, John Mather, in 1733, released their inter- 
est in the premises to Joseph Hoskins, another son of John Hos- 
kins, the younger, and he in turn, April 9, 1741, conveyed the land 
to Stephen Cole. This Stephen Cole, at the time mentioned, was a 
resident of Chester. His house then stood about opposite H. B, 
Taylor's present store. Cole died in 1744, and by his will, Decem- 
ber 26, of the same year, he appointed his wife Martha, and his 
friends, Thomas Cummings and Rev. Richard Backhouse, execu- 
tors, with full powers of sale, and in exercise thereof the latter, 
April 17-18, 1746, conveyed the premises to John Caldwell, who 
shortly after he acquired possession of the estate built the mansion 
house, still standing. He was a native of Dublin, and is said to 
have been the son of an Irish nobleman. He came to this country 
early in the last century and seems to have acquired considerable 
property. He died subsequent to June 5, 1772, and in his will 
which bears that date, he devised his real estate to his two sons, 
two shares to the eldest, and the other share to the youngest. Af- 
ter the death of their father, John purchased the one-third interest 
of his brother George in the homestead. John, known to the last 
generation as 'Squire Caldwell, was a carpenter and builder by 
trade, and was born and died in the old dwelling. He is said to 
have been a private in the Continental army during the Revolu- 
tionary war, and the musket he carried — one captured from the 
Hessians, at Trenton — is now owned by James Black. He is also 
said to have been a Lieutenant in the American service and fought 
against the Indians on the frontier who were waging war on the 
colonists in the interest of the crown. When the Royal forces 
were in possession of Philadelphia, and the English squadron lay 
off Chester, the 'Squire was much troubled with foraging parties 
from the fleet. John Caldwell stood it for a time, but every fresh 
visit from the enemy aroused his indignation until he could remain 
quiet no longer, and in a small boat he rowed out to the flag-ship, 
demanding an interview with the Admiral, Earl Richard Howe. 
He was kindly received, and in the conference he informed the 
English commander that his men had taken from him all his pork, 
provisions, milk and butter, until his family had been left in want of 
the necessaries of life. The Admiral listened attentively, said that 
he would prevent any more depredations on the 'Squire's property, 



154 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

and asked the latter to make out a bill for articles already takeir^ 
ivhich was done, and the paymaster was ordered to discharge hi& 
elaim iimmediately. John (^al hvell returned to his home, the un- 
accustomed clinking of broad gold pieces in his pocket miking his 
heart lighter and mitigating his angry feelings until he almost 
wished the foraging parties would visit his farm once more, that a 
like cure for his injuries could be again prescribed by the British- 
officer. 

'Squire Caldwell acquired considerable estate. He purchased and 
added to the homestead plot the triangular lot at the intersection 
of Edgmont and Providence avenues, which was known in early 
times as " Hangman's Lot," because public executions had there 
formerly taken place. Fitzpatrick and Elizabeth Wilson were 
there hanged. The culprits were suspended from a wild cherry 
tree, on one of the lower branches which extended son)e distance 
almost at right angles to the trunk, and it is traditionally related 
in the Caldwell family, that on one occasion from the windows of 
the mansion across the street the inmates of the old dwelling saw 
pendant from that fatal branch a man who was executed for steal- 
ing a lady's workbox, which stood temporarily on the sill of an, 
open window, so that he could filch it without difficulty. John 
Caldwell died November 24, 1834, intestate, and on February 2ci,, 
1835, Thomas Caldwell, his eldest son, elected to take the home- 
stead at the valuation placed on it in proceedings in partition. The 
latter was owner of the old house only for a brief season, for he 
died August 20, 1835, and the estate was held in common by his 
heirs, during which time it was occupied as tenants by Dr. Porter, 
Rev. Anson Hard, John Burrows JMcKeever, and finally by Joha 
A. Caldwell, who lived there until the property was sold by Abra- 
ham Vanzant, Sheriff, May 22, 1864, to Henry B. Edwards, to set- 
tle the estate. Mr. Edwards for a short time resided in the old 
mansion, when he rented it to Capt. John Morris, who was succeed- 
ed by Robert E. Hannum, Jr., then by Henrietta Gr. Ashmead, 
widow of John W. Ashmead, and in the spring of 1870 Samuel A. 
Dyer purchased the premises. He altered and modernized the an- 
cient dwelling so that it became one of the most attractive resi- 
dences at that time in the city. November 21, 1872, Col. Dyer 
conveyed the premises to A. L. Bonnaffon. During the latter's 



Historic BuUiHvgs in Chester. 155 

.ownership the house was occupied by James Stotesbury, and sub- 
sequently by the Rev. Thomas McCauley, who stil! resides there. 
The property was subsequently purchased by Anthony A. Hurst, 
smd is now owned by Godfrey Keebler, of Philadelphia, 



Tlie Cohoiirn [Flickwir) House. 

The ancient brick structure on the south side of Third street, 
adjoining the banking house of Samuel A. Dyer, was built by Ro- 
bert Cobourn before the middle of the last century. He was a 
hatter, and the store room to the west of the main building, now 
occupied by Col. W. C. Gray as an office, was erected by him as a 
hatter's shop. The second story, and attic rooms, however, over 
the store, were added many years subsequent to the building of the 
dwelling proper. Robert Cobourn, by his will, January 1, 1778, 
devised the estate to his wife for life with remainder to his seven 
children equally as tenants in common. He died before 1789, as 
did his widow, Elizabeth, previous to April 15, 1796, for in a deed 
of that date, whereby Robert, Israel and Mary Cobourn, children 
of Robert Cobourn, convey the premises to their elder brother, 
Aaron, the death of Elizabeth is mentioned, as also that of two of 
the other children, in their minority. Robert Fairlamb, Sheriff, 
seized the premises as Aaron Cobourn in foreclosure of a mortgage, 
and sold them April 17, 1818, to William Eyre. The latter did 
not immediately occupy the house, but leased it to Butler & Worth- 
ington, who in the fall of the year 1819, issued the first newspaper 
ever printed in Delaware county — The Post Boy — and continued its 
publication until April 20, 1824, when Butler retired and Eliphalet 
B. Worthington issued the paper until he sold the establishment to 
Joseph M. G. Lescure. William Eyre, however, subsequently re- 
sided in the house until he retired from business, and then rented 
it to Breese Lyons, who carried on the tailoring business therein. 



15(d Historical Sketch of Chester, 

Martha Cowgill afterwards occupied the premises for some time^ 
and was succeeded by Lydia E. Finch, who purchased the dwelling 
August 30, 1843. Miss Finch came to reside in Chester in 1822y 
as governess of the children of Israel Haycock, who then resided 
at Lamokin Hall. In 1823, she established a school in the old Lo- 
gan House, but several years afterwards abandoning that occupa- 
tion she opened a dry goods and trimming store at the same place, 
and as a sign used a band-box suspended on a pole, wdiich gave to 
the store the nuiieof the "band-box." Her taste in selecting 
goods was so noticeable that she soon acquired a large trade, and, 
as stated, purchased the Cobourn House in 1843. It is related 
that Miss Finch was exceedingly fearful of thunder-storms. On 
one occasion Dr. Porter called to see her professionally, and just as 
he was about going, a clap of thunder rattled overhead. Miss 
Finch, cliniiing to the doctor, said: " You can't go now, doctor; 
you mustn't go." The physician knowing her peculiarity, replied- 
" Good Heavens ! madam, I'm a doctor; not a lightning rod." She 
carried on business in the house until she sold the premises to Jere- 
miah W. Flickwir. After Miss Finch retired, she purchased a 
dwelling on Fifth street, near Madison, where she resided until Oc- 
tober 9, 1871, when she sold that property to Simon Brandeis, who 
still owns it. Miss Finch, after boarding for a time in Chester, 
with a life long friend, removed to the house of Mrs. Taws, in Ger- 
raantown, where she died October 24, 1881. She was peculiarly 
reticent respecting her age, and previous to her death she destroyed 
all papers which in anywise touched thereon. She was, however, 
known to have been an octogenarian. 

Jeremiah W. Flickwir purchased the premises March 13, 1866. 
He married Jemima E., daughter of Richard Flower, of Lamokin 
Hall. Mr. Flickwir was a druggist, and carried on that business 
in Philadelphia for many years. In 1839, he purchased "Fairview 
Farm," just beyond the western line of the old Borough of Chester, 
where he resided during the summer time, and for several years 
made farming his exclusive occupation, until 1861, when he sold 
the estate to James Garland, removed to Chester, where he opened 
a drug store, and became Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue, and 
was elected Alderman of the Middle Ward. He died October 27, 
1866, and by will, May 3, 1854, he devised his estate to his wife 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 157 

absolutely. His widow resided in the old dwelling until 1877, 
when she rented it to John Rum ford. The building is now used as 
offices. John B. Hinkson, Ksq., now occupies the lower floor of 
the original dwelling, and Col. W. C. Gray that which was formerly 
the store room. 



The Parker House. / 

The building to the north and immediately adjoining the present 
residence of Jonathan Pennell, on the west side of Edgmont ave- 
nue, I presume, was the early residence of Joseph Parker, previous 
to his purchase of the Logan House ; at all events it was owned by 
him and descended to his daughter, Mary (Parker) Norris, who sold 
it April 10, 1773, to Henry Hale Grraham. The latter died seized 
of the property, and his only son, William Graham, who acquired 
the real estate belcnging to his father, conveyed it. May 20, 1800, 
to William Anderson, and the latter in turn sold it, March 26, 
1801, to James Barnard, who had been Sheriff of Delaware county 
from 1792-'95, and a vestryman of St. Paul's Church in 1801-2-3. 
The latter is said to have occupied the house as a tenant long pre- 
vious to his purchase of the property. In this dwelling Isaac D. 
Barnard, the fourth generation in descent from Richard Barnard, 
the first sdttler of that name, was born in 1791. His father, James 
Barnard, died previous to November 19, 1807, for on that date let- 
ters of administration were granted to his widow, Susanna, the ex- 
ecutors named in his will failing to act. In his testament, James 
Barnard devised his estate to his wife for life, and the remainder 
to his children in unequal share, coupled with the condition that if 
Isaac D. Barnard did not assign to his brother and sister certain 
portions of the estate devised to him (Isaac) by his brother James 
D. Barnard, that in that event he should be debarred from receiv- 
ing anything under his (the father's) will. Isaac D. Barnard en- 
tered the law office of William Graham, and was admitted to the 



158 Historinal Sketch of Chester. 

bar of Chester county in 1816. During the second war with Eng- 
land he was commissioned Captain of the Fourteenth United States 
Infantry, and took part in the battle at Fort George, where his sig- 
nal bravery and ability earned for him promotion to the rank of 
Major. He served faithfully in the campaign of the Northeastern 
border, and at the battle of Plattsburg, owing to the death and 
disability of his superior officers, the command of the corps de- 
volved on him. He also so distinguished himself at the battle of 
Lyon's creek, that he was honorably mentioned in the official re- 
ports of the Major and Brigadier Generals commanding. So gal- 
lant was his charge on that occasion that when the Marquis of 
Tweedsdale, who commanded the One Hundredth British Begi- 
ment in that battle, after peace was proclaimed came to Philadel- 
phia, and during that visit, we are told by Gilbert Cope — to whom 
I am indebted for much of the information respecting Bai'nard — 
the Marquis remarked to several .persons : " I would be glad to 
make the acquaintance of the young gentleman, Barnard, who so 
gallantly drove me from my position at Lyon's creek." 

At the close of the war the Government desired Barnard to re- 
main in the army permanently, but he declined, and locating in 
West Chester he began the duties of his profession, where he soon 
attained a large practice, and within a year after his admission was 
appointed Depvity Attorney General for Chester county. In 1820, 
he was elected from the district comprising Chester and Delaware 
counties. State Senator, and in 1824, hcAvas tendered the President 
Judgeship of Lancaster and Dauphin counties, which he declined. 
In 1 820, he was appointed by Governor Shulze, Secretary of the 
Commonwealth, and the same year was elected by the Legislature, 
Senator of the United States, a position he acceptably filled until 
1831. He died February 18, 1834, and his will was probated the 
24th of the same month. In it he gave David Townsend, his ex- 
ecutor, power to sell, but the latter flxiled to carry out the instruc- 
tions of the testator, and February 3, 1881, Joseph W. Barnard, 
who had been appointed administrator, sold the estate to William 
J. Doflin, of Philadelphia. The latter had married Lucy Barnard, 
one of the heirs, and the same day the heirs and legatees of Isaac 
D. Barnard made a deed of confirmation to Doflin. He and Sid- 
ney P., his wife, April 8, 1881, conveyed the premises to Jonathan 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 159 

Pennell. During the ownership of the old house by the Barnard 
family it was tenanted by Breese Lyons, and subsequently by Jo- 
seph Taylor, the Prothonotary and Clerk of the Courts of Delaware 
county, and later Surveyor of Chester, who, almost an octogenarian, 
is still a resident of our city. After Taylor vacated the premises 
they were occupied by Dr Joshua Owens, although during ail this 
time Thomas, a brother of Isaac D. Barnard, lived in part of the 
house, as did more recently Mary D. Barnard. 



Tlie jdiidersoii [Potter] House. 

The title to this old dwelling is the same as that set forth in the 
account of the Porter (Lloyd) House, until the property passed into 
the ownership of Major William Anderson, May 21, 1808. The 
dwelling, I. Engle Cochran, Sr., states, was erected by the Major 
between the date of his purchase and the sale of the estate. May 
26, 1823, to John Cochran. The latter was the son of Alexander 
Cochran, who came to this county early in the present century and 
settled in Nether Providence, near the residence of his kinspeople, 
the Leiper family. John Cochran, the elder, was a farmer and 
drover, accumulating considerable means in his business and ac- 
quiring a large farm, part of which was the tract where this house 
was built. He died October 31, 1843, intestate, and in proceed- 
ings in partition, Isaac E. Cochi'an, and John Cochran, the younger, 
acquired title to the homestead tract comprising over one hundred 
and thirteen acres. John Cochran, January 30, 1849, conveyed his 
interest in seventy acres of ground, including the mansion house, 
to his brother, Isaac Engle Cochran. The latter, after residing in 
the dwelling for several years, March 27, 1852, conveyed the premi- 
ses to Frederick Wiggin and Augustus Wiggin, the price paid 
being $15,000, and the latter, in April of the same year, sold the 
mansion house and ten acres of ground to Ri^ht liev. Alonzo Pot- 



160 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

ter, and Sarah B., his wife. Alonzo Potter was born in Duchess 
county, New York, in 1 800, and after graduating at Union College 
came to Philadelphia, where he devoted himself to theological 
studies, until he was called in 1821 to the Professorship of Mathe- 
matics and Natural Philosophy at Union (^oUege. This position he 
relinquished when at the age of twenty-five, he accepted the rec- 
torship of St. Paul's Church, Boston. In 1835 he was again called 
to Union College to fill the professorship of Ecclesiastical History. 
In 1845 he was elected Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, the 
third person holding that office from the formation of the Diocese 
of Pennsylvania, after the determination of the War of Independ- 
ence. Bishop Potter died July 4, 1865. A year previous to his 
death, February 6, 1864, Alonzo Potter and his three sons — his 
wife Sarah (Benedict) being dead — ^joined in a deed of the estate 
to Abram Blakeley, the present owner. 

Abram Blakeley was born in Devvsbury, in the West Riding 
of Yorkshire, England, in 1806. He attended at an early age the 
Free Episcopal School there until his fourteenth year, at which time 
he began weaving cotton sheeting in his father's house and was so 
employed for two years, when he went to Staleybridge, where he 
first learned to weave on a power loom. He continued there for 
several years, and when twenty-two came to the United States. 
He obtained employment at Bullock & Bancroft's factory, and in 
1830 went to Pottsville, where he labored in the mines as a bunks- 
man — one who keeps account of the coal as it comes from the 
mines. In 1841 he moved to Rockdale, in this county, where he 
worked as a beamer in the mill of James Houghton, but in the fall 
of that year returned to the coal regions and resumed the duties of 
bunksman, and at the same time became " a hunter for black dirt," 
that is, one who examines land to ascertain if it exhibits any indi- 
cations of coal deposits. In 1833, he obtained employment with 
John P. Crozer, at West Branch, as a cloth taker, or inspector of 
cloth as it comes from the looms, and remained there for thirteen 
years, until in 1846, he, with Phineas Lownes, began manufacturing 
at Knowlton, the firm being Lownes & Blakeley. After struggling 
for seven years, they sold their business to Mr. Lewis, and in the 
spring of 1854, Mr. Blakeley, in connection with Dr. Bonsall, as 
special partner, purchased the Arasapha Mill, erected by John 



Historic Buildings in Chester, 161 

Larkin, Jr., and began manufacturing in Chester, tlie firm continu- 
ino- in business until the death of Dr. Bonsall dissolved it. Ir 
1866, Mr. Blakeley took his son, Benjamin W,, into partnership, 
and since that time William S. Blakeley, another of his sons, has 
been admitted into the firm. 

I mention the facts in Mr, Blakeley 's life to show the opportu- 
nities wliich thirty years ago presented themselves to the indus- 
trious and energetic young man without means to push himself 
forward in his avocation, and because I believe that such success 
hereafter will be exceptional in this country, in the Eastern Atlantic 
States at least, as it has been in old England for nearly a century. 



Tlie jWorgdii [Terrill\ House. 

The old building standing on the east side of Market street, the 
second structure south of Fourth street, now occupied by Maurice 
Beaver as a stove and tin store, was, I presume, built by Evan 
Morgan. The land was part ot the twenty acres patented May 31, 
1686, to James Sandelands, the elder, and was conveyed by John 
Crosby and wife, January 20, 1723, to Thomas Griffing, subject to 
a yearly quit rent of one shilling. This John Crosby was a son of 
Richard, the first of that name who came to Pennsylvania after 
Penn acquired title to the Province. The former is stated by Mar- 
tin to have first settled in Philadelphia, and was one of the original 
purchasers of town lots there, but that he shortly afterwards re- 
moved to Chester, for in 1684 he was appointed a collector with 
two others, " to gather the assessments," made by the authorities 
to build the Court House and Prison. His son, John, to whom San- 
delands conveyed the ground on Market street, married in 1719, 
and seems to have disregarded the observances of Friends on such 
occasions, for in that year he made his acknowledgment to Chester 
Meeting, stating that he is " hearty sorry and desire the forgive- 



162' Historical SMch of Chester. 

ness of God and of my Brethern." He was a Justice of the Feace; 
and in 1723-4, represented the county in the Provincial Assembly .- 
He died in the fall of the year 1750. John Crosby sold the lot tO' 
Thomas Griffing at the time already mentioned, and the lattery 
March 24-25, 1 725, conveyed the property to Evan Morgan, who- 
built the dwelling house. Evan Morgan died seized of the premi- 
ses and they descended to his' son, John Morgan, who in the deedy 
February 12, 1783, conveying the estate to Jemima (Linard) Dasey 
and her sister, Mary Linard, is designated as of Philadelphia. I 
am told by an aged resident that, he thinks, subsequent to his fail- 
ure, Francis Richardson resided in the house. After it was pur- 
chased by Jemima Dasey and her maiden sister, they kept ?. dry 
goods and trimming store there and continued in the business while 
they remained the owners of the property. Several of the older 
people hereabout can recall Mary Linard, an elderly woman, lamCj- 
and hobbling along leaning on a cane. October 11, 1809, Dr. Job 
H. Terrill purchased the house and resided therein until his death.- 
January 20, 1844. The doctor was a man of fine conversational 
powers, possessing a ready vocabulary and was rapid in his utter- 
ances. He was a noted lover of horses, and always kept one of the- 
best, if not the best in Chester. He would have his negro many, 
Ike, train his horses on Welsh street, and would stand and watch 
them speeding along from Edgmont road to the Porter House and 
back. He always rode in a sulkey, and in getting in one day hiS' 
horse started, threw him against the vehicle and injured his thigh 
so severely that it brought on a disease which ultimately proved 
fatal. His premises were noticeable for the attractive ground tO' 
the north of the dwelling, where D. P. Paiste's store is now located. 
In the centre of the garden was an enormous box bush, and white 
violets grew thickly, mottling the grass plot, while fruit trees, well 
trimmed and cared for, were scattered here and there. In front of 
the house, on the sidewalk, was an old well and pump, which stood 
there until within a quarter of a century. Dr. Terrill's daughter^ 
Anna Louisa, became the first wife of William Eyre, Jr., and the 
mother of the present Joshua P. Eyre, while Emeline, to whom the 
old homestead descended, married John Odenheimer Deshong. The 
latter was the son of Peter and Mary (Odenheimer) Deshong, and 
for many years carried on general merchandising in a building 



Historic Buildings in Vhesien. 16B 

-which formerly occupied the site of Mortimer H. Bickley's drug 
.'Store, and subsequently a lumber yard on the north side of Fifth 
street, above Welsh. He was an enterprising business man and 
acquired a large estate the largest ever accumulated by any resi- 
dent of Chester. He was quick in his decision and prompt in ac- 
tion, two characteristics to which he was greatly indebted for his 
success. He never sought political preferment, although solicited 
•to permit his name to be used in connection with various offices, but 
steadfastly refused all positions other than that of Director of The 
Delaware County National Bank, the duties of which he discharged 
for many years previous to his death, which took place May 28., 
1881. Mrs. Emeline Deshong now owns the old homestead. 

After the death of Dr. Terrill, the late Hon. Y. S. Walter, a 
:sketch of whom appears in " Notes Kespecting Newspapers of Ches- 
ter," in this volume, occupied the house until the spring of 1845, 
when Dr. J. M. Allen leased it and altered the front part of the 
building into a drug store, where he soon secured a large and profit- 
able business. During the cholera season of 1845, the public were 
so alarmed that frequently he and his assistants could with diffi- 
culty wait on the persons who came to purchase Burgundy pitch 
plasters, which, when worn on the stomach, was believed to be an 
absolute protection from the disease. In 1851, Dr. Allen pur- 
<:hased the property where Bickley's large building now stands, 
and continued there until the breaking out of the war in 1861, 
when he was appointed Surgeon of the 54th Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers, and subsequently was Medical Director of the Department of 
Western Virginia, and Surgeon- in-Chief of staff; in which he 
served until late in the year 1864,when his health broke down, and 
he was honorably discharged from the service, after having been in 
the hospital several months. He is now Alderman of the Middle 
Ward, an office he fills most creditably. Dr. Allen was followed by 
Thomas Broughton, Avho kept in the old Terrill House a eonfection- 
-ery store until 1852,when he sold the business to Denis Clark, wh® 
vacated the premises and was followed by Flood & Pullen, as a 
cigar store. The house is occupied at the present time bj Maurice 
Beaver, as before stated- 



164 Historical Sketch of Chester, 



The Morris House. 

On the sofith side of Fifth street, the second house from the cor- 
ner, is the dwelling, now owned and occupied by Mrs. Josephine 
Lyons Garrett, which building was erected by her maternal grand- 
father, Jonathan Morris. The land was part of the twenty acres 
patented to James Sandelands, May 31, 1686, and was subsequently 
the property of Rev. Richard Backhonse, rector of St. Paul's 
Church, from 1726 to 1749, and afterwards that of Adam Grubb, 
who, dying seized of the estate, his executors, John and Isaac 
Grubb, May 7, 1791, conveyed the premises to Elisha Price. The 
latter dying in 1798, of yellow fever, the lots vested in pro- 
ceeding in partition of his estate in his daughter, Abigail, who 
had intermarried with Aaron Musgrave, a Conveyancer, in Phila- 
delphia, and they, by deed, June 24, 1799, conveyed the property 
to Jonathan Morris. The latter, who was a blacksmith, built the 
present house in ! 800, and erected on the south-west corner of Welsh 
and Fifth streets a forge, which stood there for many years. He 
died previous to February 14, 1814, for his will, dated January 17, 
of that year, was admicted to probate at the time first mentioned. 
By it he devised his house and lands to his six children, Hannah, 
Mary, Anna, Margaret, Samuel P., and Cadwallader, with a life es- 
tate to his wife, Rebecca, in one-third of the estate. All the 
children excepting Samuel P. Morris, Anna, who married James 
Burns, and Margaret, who married Crossman Lyons, died young 
and without children The survivors, May 24, 1825, released their 
interest in the estate to their mother and sister Margaret Morris. 

The latter married Crossman Lyons, as before stated. He was 
the son of Jedediah and Mary Gorman Lyons. The former was a 
native of Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and a soldier in the Revolu- 
tion ; one of the men who marched with Washington in his retreat 
through that Colony, shared his triumph at Trenton, and whose feet 
were frozen during the dreary winter's cantonment at Valley 
Forge. He used to relate that the sweetest morsel he ever tasted 
was a piece of beef roasted on the end of his ramrod by the camp 
fire, which he had cut from a steer captured and slaughtered by a 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 165 

foraging party of American troops who had had nothing to eat for 
more than twenty- four hours. His wife it was who dressed the 
wound of General Lafayette, as heretofore stated. Grossman Lyons, 
his son, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and his daughter, Mrs. 
Garrett, now owns a siver medal having on one side the head of 
Lafayette, and on the other that of Washington, which he won at 
a shooting match of militia in the second decade of this century. 
Lyons had broken his right arm, and it was at that time in a sling; 
some person present asked him laughingly if he was not going to 
shoot at the target. " Cei-tainly I will," he replied, " if any one 
will load a musket for me." That being done he fired, using his 
left shoulder in place of his right, and fortunately the bullet from 
his gun strurk the bull's eye directly in the centre, the best shot 
that day. 

The old homestead has been occupied as tenants, by Dr. William 
Gerhart, George Baker, when first married, Mrs. Keziah West, mo- 
ther of the late John G- Dyer, by her first marriage, and Thomas 
Clyde. He was followed by Mrs. Hawes, who had married first 
Captain Isaac Engle and afterwards Charles Hawes, and, as the lat- 
ter's widow, occupied the house. John Green and Col. Alexander 
Worrall lived in the dwelling, to be superseded by Mrs. Josephine 
Lyons Garrett, to whom the property descended from her parents. 



Tlie Tliomas Morgan House. 

Midway of the block on the east side of Market street, between 
Third and Fourth streets, is the Thomas Morgan House, the front 
having been modernized as a store by John Brooks, the present 
occupant and owner. The title to the land, as with all other lots 
in that neighborhood, begins of record with the patent, May 31, 
1686, to James Sandelands, the elder. The heirs of the latter con- 
veyed the premises to Thomas Morgan, who built the house and 



166 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

died, In settling his estate the property was sold, August 18, 
1756, by Jonathan Fairlamb, Sheriff, to William Eyre, of Bethel 
township, son of Robert Eyre, the first settler of that name in the 
Province. I have not learned who it was resided in the old house 
during the ownership of William Eyre, but he died seized of the 
premises, and by his will, August 7, 1763, he devised the property 
to his son, John Eyre, and the latter conveyed it. May 1, 1779, to 
Isaac Eyre, who in turn, June 7, 1784, transferred it to Davis 
Bevan, who kept a general store therein. The latter was a positive 
man, but a worthy citizen and ardent patriot. The brilliant illu- 
mination of his window — a tree of victory planted therein, glitter- 
ing with spangles and shining with lighted candles — in honor of the 
signal defeat of the British at New Orleans, is still recalled to 
memory by our older residents, Davis Bevan, by his will, August 
30, 1814, devised the estate to his daughter Isabella, for life, with 
remainder to Matthew L. Bevan. Isabella Bevan continued the 
business after her father's death, but previous to the sale of the 
premises, March 15, 1833, by Matthew L. Bevan, to Henry L. Pow- 
ell, the house was occupied by Samuel Lamplugh, and afterwards by 
Major Samuel A. Price, who had his hat factory in the building. 
When Henry L. Powell acquired possession he kept a boot and shoe 
store there, as did also John Lloyd, to whom he sold the property, 
April 3, 1844. Two years subsequently, March 31. 1846, Lloyd 
re-conveyed the premises to Henry L. Powell, who, on November 
18, of the following year, transferred it to Joseph Entwisle, who 
carried on a bakery there until November 4, 1851, when he 
sold the property to John Brooks, and built a bleaching mill in the 
South Ward. John Brooks is now the leading business man who 
has continued in one occupation and in one locality for a greater 
number of years than any person at present in Chester, and has 
gathered during that period a large business and a competency. 



Historic BuildiTigs in Chester. 167 



Tlie Bircliall House, 

The stone building at the north-west corner of Concord avenue 
and Third street is an ancient dwelling, the date of its erection, 
however, I am unable to give Many of our old residents can re- 
call it standing on an eminence surrounded with many large fruit 
trees. The side door, on Concord avenue, was divided so that the 
upper half could be opened while the lower part was closed, and 
the old roof was in many places covered with moss, which gave to 
it an exceedingly picturesque appearance The land on which it 
was located was part of the tract of ground conveyed to Robert 
Wade by Armgard Pappegoya, and by his heirs conveyed to John 
Wade, but to whom it belonged immediately previous to 1767 I 
have failed to learn, since the records at West Chester, about that 
date, so far as the Sheriff's deed book is concerned, have been mis- 
laid or lost. From the recital in a latter deed we know that John 
Morton, Sheriff, August 21, 1767, sold the premises to William 
Henderson, who, in turn, conveyed it, March 24, 1770, to Thomas 
Pedrick, a descendant of Eodger Pedrick. the settler of that name, 
whose daughter, Rebecca, born at Marcus Hook, September 14, 
1678, according to Dr. Smith, was the first child born to English 
parents in the Province of Pennsylvania, The latter was seized of 
the estate at the time of his death, and Under the power given in 
his will, his executors, James Shaw and William Graham, June IQy 
1799, conveyed the property to John Birchall, who owned it at the 
time of his death, and his daughter, Elizabeth Birchall, September 
29, 1820, sold her interest therein to her brother, James Birchall. 
The latter was a tailor by occupation, and during his latter days, 
retired from business. He resided in the old building until his 
death, and by will, November 11, 1829, devised the residue of his 
estite to his sister-in-law, Sarah Birchall, widow of Caleb Birchall, 
in consideration of the latter's attention and kindness to him. He 
also instructed his executors to sell the premises for the payment 
of his debts, but that seems to have been unnecessary, and the 
dwelling house and garden passed to the devisee under the will. 
Sarah Birchall died seized of the premises, and in proceeding in 
partition of her estate, Samuel Hibberd, Trustee, appointed by the 



168 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Court to sell the property, conveyed it, September 11, 1845, to 
Frederick J. Hinkson, Sr., and several years subsequently Judge 
Hinkson conveyed it to Ann J. Button, wife of Aaron Larkin Dut- 
ton. The latter, now deceased, will be remembered for his activity 
in the Society of Friends, of whose property in this city, to the 
time of his death, he had entire care. January 25, 1865, Aaron 
L. Dutton and Ann J., his wife, sold the premises to Dr. F. Ridg- 
ley Grraham, who still owns it. 



Tlie Francis Richardson House, 

The gx'ound on which the dwelling on the east side of Edgmont 
avenue, the third house from the south-east corner of Second street 
and Edgmont avenue, is located, was part of the tract acquired by 
David Lloyd, from the Church Warden of the Swedish congrega- 
tion at Wicaco, and by his will was devised to his wife, Grace. 
She in turn devised it to her nephew, Francis Richardson, hence 
the house cannot antedate 1760, the period of her death. Rich- 
ardson, as stated elsewhere, was ruined by his business speculations, 
and the premises were taken in execution and sold by Ezekiel 
Leonard, Sheriff, July 2, 1787, to William O'Neal, and he, Novem- 
ber 4, 1797, conveyed the property to Ephraim Pearson, who mar- 
ried Jane, a daughter of Samuel and Hannah Shaw. He it was 
who by indenture. May 6, 1816, in carrying out the Act of Assem- 
bly " making an appropriation for the erection of piers in the 
Delaware in the Borough of Chester," gave and ceded to the Com- 
monwealth "all that piece of ground known by the name of 'Rich- 
ardson's Lower Wharf,' lying on the river Delaware, between the 
tnouth of Chester creek and Front street, continued and extending 
from high water mark to low water mark, * * * for the pur- 
pose of erecting and constructing wharves and piers, and for no 
other purpose." The State of Pennsylvania subsequently trans- 



Historic Buildings in Chester. 16B 

ferred the piers, thus ceded to it by Ephraim Pearson, known as 
the lower pier, and that ceded to it by Davis Bevan, June 20, 1816, 
known as the upper pier, to the Government of the United States, 
who still own and keep them in repair. 'Squire Pearson had a 
family of eight sons, all of whom left Chester and settled in dis- 
tant cities, while his wife, who survived him many years, removed 
to Philadelphia, where she died in 1862, in her eighty-eighth year, 
having outlived all her children. John E. Shaw, whd administered 
to the estate of Ephraim Pearson, November 23, 1863, sold the 
premises to Jonathan Pennell, who repaired and renovated the an- 
cient dwelling after it passed into his ownership. 



Tlie Groeltz House. 

The frame structure on the east side of Edgmont avenue, south 
of Fourth street, is not an ancient building. In all probability it 
was built about seventy years ago. It was formerly a stable, at- 
tached to the house which was subsequently erected on the lands 
donated previous to 1704, by Thomas Powell to the Parish of St. 
Paul, for the gift is mentioned in Kev. Mr. Nichol's letter to the 
London Society " For the Propagating the Grospel in Foreign Parts," 
and in 1718, Rev. John Humphreys, under date, October 24, al- 
ludes to it as containing the foundation of a parsonage (the front 
on Third street) which the congregation started to build, " but 
were not able to accomplish in & it remains as it has been these 3 
years, just about 4 feet above the ground as a reproach to them 
and an infamous mark of their Poverty." The parish did erect a 
building on the premises many years afterwards, certainly subse- 
quently to 1762, which they leased previous to 1830, to William 
Kelley, as well as the stable on Edgmont avenue, which latter pro- 
perty I am now considering. Kelley resided in the house on Third 
street, wherein he kept a restaurant, and in the stable he had a 



170 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

bottling establishment, the first business of that kind ever in 
Chester. The church wardens, however, were instructed to sell the 
premises on ground rent, and in compliance with that order George 
B. Lownes and Pierce Crosby, May 5, 1831, conveyed the premises 
to William McCafferty, subject to a ground rent of $97 yearly. 
The latter, March 25, 1839, sold the lot on Edgmont avenue, on 
which was the stable, to Ehrenreich Goeltz, subject to an annual 
rent of $19, payable to the wardens of St. Paul's Church. Goeltz 
changed the stable into a house, and on the rear of the lot erected 
a soap and chandlery factory, which business he carried on until his 
death. His widow married Henry Ott, and the latter, January 8, 
1851, purchased from the wardens of St. Paul's, the church's in- 
terest in the ground rent of $19 reserved in the deed to Ehrenreich 
Goeltz. In the distribution of the latter's estate, the house and 
factory became the property of his son, George Goeltz, the present 
owner, who, February 3, 1863, purchased from Henry Ott and ex- 
tinguished the ground rent. 

A peculiar circumstance connected with this building is, that 
several years ago when alterations were being made in the cellar, 
in excavating, at the depth of three feet below the then bottom, a 
perfect rubal pavement, similar to those in the roadway of many of 
our streets, was found, respecting which no person had th'e slightest 
information as to the reason why it was there, when it was laid, or 
by whom. 



COUNTY BRIDGES AT CHESTER. 



THE first bridge erected over Cliester creek where tiie King's 
road — the present Third street — crosses that stream, was a 
draw-bridge. In 1686, the Court ordered the building of a horse 
bridge over the creek, near Chester, as the King's road at that time 
did not pass through the Borough, but to the north of the town. 
There is no evidence that the order of the Court as respected that 
bridge, was ever carried into effect ; indeed, the contrary seems to 
be negatively established, for at the December Court, 1699, Ptalph 
Fishbourne presented a petition " for a convenient road from the 
west side of Chester creek, where the ferry is kept for to lead to 
the now King's road." The Court thereupon appointed six viewers 
to lay out " the said roadway in the most convenient place they can 
for the convenience of the inhabitants." 

In 1700, the inconvenience arising from the round-about way 
became such an annoyance to the traveling public and the inhabit- 
ants of the Borough of Chester, that a determined and successful 
eSbrt was made to change the route of the King's highway, so that 
it should pas-s through the town and nearer the river. To avoid in- 
terrupting the free navigation of the stream, it was determined 
that the creek be spanned by a draw-bridge. Accordingly, in that 
year, an Act of the Colonial Assembly was procured, which author- 
ized the erection of a bridge over the creek at Chester, and or- 
dered the Justices of the county Court "to lay out a road from 
the King's Road that leads to New Castle and Maryland to the in- 
tended place for a bridge over Chester creek." The Act required 



172 Historical Shdch of Chester. 

that the bridge should have a draw to it ; provided for the employ- 
ment of a man to attend to it, and specified what his duties were — 
to draw it up when necessary to let sloops and shallops pass to and 
from the mills situated on the creek, and also designated that a 
space of twenty feet should be left clear between the timbers or 
stoneword for "the conveniency" of rafts and logs passing to said 
mills. 

There is in our local annals little or no information respecting 
this bridge beyond that Avhich can be gleaned from legislative en- 
actments. In the preamble to the Act of Assembly, approved 
August 14, 1725, which was intended to prevent the obstruction of 
the navigation of Chester creek, it is set forth that the draw-bridge 
which had been erected " is now gone to decay, and requires it to 
be rebuilt or repaired," and the act " direct the County Commis- 
sioners to repair the bridge within a period of twelve months." 
In the Act of September 3, 1778, it is stated that the draw-bridge 
which had been built in 1700, and repaired in 1725, " is decayed 
and ruined, and that public necessity, as well as the convenience of 
travelers on the highroad, requires that a good, safe bridge over 
Chester creek should always be maintained and kept in repair ; 
that the draw or engine to raise and lower the same is of no public 
utility and is attended with extraordinary expense and inconveni- 
ence to the public. In view of these facts the Act declares " that 
the Commissioners and Assessors, with the concurrence of the ma- 
gistrates of the county of Chester, shall, as soon as may be, cause 
a new bridge to be built at the place where the old bridge formerly 
stood, leaving at least twenty feet clear between the timber or 
stonework, and not less than eighteen feet in breadth, and eight 
feet headway at high water, for the easy passage for rafts, floats, 
shallops and other crafts, and the said bridge be made fast and 
close continued from one side of the creek to the other, without 
any draw or opening for a mast." 

The bridge erected in obedience to this Kct was a wooden struct- 
ure, which was supported by heavy wrought iron chains passing 
over iron columns located on either abutment. Each link of the 
chain, Martin says, was about two feet in length, and at either side 
of the bridge was a large plank cut to resemble an arch. Over 



Coimiy Bridges at Chester. 173 

each arch was a sign, the body color white, and bearing tlie follow- 
ing notification in black letters: 

" Walk your horses and drive not more than fifteen head of cat- 
tle over this br'.dge, under a penalty of no less than $30." 

This structure was carried off its abutments by the water during 
the noted flood of August 5, 1843, and swept by the torrent against 
Eyre's wharf, where it remained held fast by one of the chains, 
which did not part on the eastward side of the creek. Isaiah H. 
Mirkil and Jerry Stevenson, for more than two months ferried 
horses, cattle, wagons, carriages and pedestrians across the creek 
in a scow. The County Commissioners raised the old super-struct- 
ure to its former position in the fall of T843, at a cost of $2150. 
One of the links or staples to which the chain was attached is still 
to be seen standing in the roadway at the north-east side of the 
present bridge, in front of the store now occupied by F. C. Torpey, 
in Ladomus' block. 

In 1850, Chester began rapid strides in material improvements 
and the old bridge being deemed insufficient to meet the public 
demand, early in 1853, John Edward Clyde prepared a petition for 
a new structure, and Isaiah H. Mirkil circulated the paper for sig- 
natures. The petition was met with a remonstrance by several 
citizens of the town, and so energetically was the matter pushed 
on each side that the good people of Chester were soon divided into 
new bridge and anti-new bridge advocates. It was a contest which 
in that day agitated the newly awakened Borough from centre to 
circumference. 

The struggle eventuated in the erection of the present iron 
structure in 1853. On the south-east end of the bridge, on the 
main stanchion, cast in the iron, is a shield, which informs the 
reader that the super-structure was built by F. Quickley, of Wil- 
mington, Delaware, in the year above stated, and that the County 
Commissioners during whose term in office the work was completed, 
were A. Newlin, J. Barton and W. H. Grubb. The bridge origi- 
nally was without sidewalks, which were added in 1868, to accom- 
modate the public who, up to that time, had been compelled to 
walk in the present roadway of the bridge, in passing from one 
Ward to another. In 1872, the County Commissioners made some 
repairs to the bridge — relayed the planking, which was worn and 



1 74 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

decayed in many places, but so enormous is the demand now made 
on this bridge by the public, that no repairs can for any length of 
time keep it in good condition. 

The Seventh street bridge was finished December 27, 1870, and 
is an iron super-structure. For some reason this brids e is not 
looked upon favorably by the public who have doubts as to the sta- 
ble character of the work. 

The Ninth street bridge is really due to the exertions of Messrs. 
William Simpson & Sons, of Eddystone, whose petition for such 
an improvement was presented to the Court of Quarter Sessions, 
July 11, 1879, confirmed by the Court February 20. 1880, and June 
27, 1881, the bridge was inspected and accepted by the county. 

December 14, 1880, a lengthy petition, signed by almost all the 
manufacturers and owners of industrial works in the South and 
Middle Wards, was presented to Court asking for the appointment 
of a Jury of View, for a bridge at Second street, which was done, 
and, almost a year subsequently to that date, December 12, 1881, 
the Court of Quarter Sessions confirmed the action of the Jury of 
View, which previously had been approved of by two Grand Juries. 
The bridge is now being built in a substantial manner, and when 
completed will be an important factor in developing the river front 
of the city. The untiring perseverance of Isaiah H. Mirkil, after 
many years, finally procured a patient hearing for his scheme of 
improvement, and culminated in having a bridge located at this 
point. 




CHURCHES AT CHESTER. 



FRIENDS' MEETING HOUSE. 

The first record of a religious meeting of tlie Society of Friends^ 
in tlie Province of Pennsylvania, is that held at the house of Ro- 
bert Wade, in Chester, in 1675, mentioned by William Edmund^ 
son, an eminent minister of the Society, who was present on that 
occasion. Previous to the coming of Penn, at a monthly meeting 
held 11th of 7th month, (September) 1681, it was agreed " Yt a 
meeting shall be held for ye service and worship of God every First 
Day at ye Court House at Upland." In the statement of Richard 
Townsend (Proud's History of Pennsylvania, vol. 1, p. 220) after 
giving an account of his voyage in the " Vrelcome," he states: 
" Our first concern was to keep up and maintain our religious wor- 
ship, and in order thereunto we had several meetings, at the houses 
of the inhabitants, and one boarded meeting house was set up, 
where the city was to be, near Delaware." This "boarded " house 
in all probability, was located at Chester, inasmuch as Gordon 
(History of Pennsylvania, 59,) states that " the Quakers had three 
houses for public religious worship — shortly after the arrival of 
Penn — one at Chester, another at Shackamaxon, or Kensington, and 
another at the Falls of the Delaware." In this temporary build- 
ing, for it was hardly more than that, the Friends of that early day 
held their meetings for several years, until 1693, when their first 
permanent meeting house was completed, and it may be that the 
frame structure was located on the ground which Joran Keen sold 
to the Society, for the latter, the 6th of the first month, 1687, con- 
veyed to John Simcox, Thomas Brasey, John Bristow, Caleb Pusey, 



176 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Randal Vernon, Thomas Vernon, Joshua Hastings, Mordecai Mad- 
dock, Thomas Martin, Richard Few, Walter Fauset and Edward 
Carter, in trust, a lot on the west side of Edgraont avenue, south 
of Third street, sixty feet in front, and continuing that width be- 
tween parallel lines to the f^reek, " to the use and behoof of the 
said Chester — the people of God called Quakers, and their succes- 
sors forever." 

In the same year Chester Monthly Meeting agreed that "Bar- 
tholomew Coppock, James Kennedy, Randal Vernon and Caleb 
Pusey do agree and contract with such workmen or men, as they 
think fit, to build a meeting house at Chester 24 foot square and 10 
foot high in the walls." Nothing seems to have come of this or- 
der, and early ia the year 1691, the quarterly meeting became ear- 
nest in its purpose, and a committee from Providence, Middletown, 
Springfield and Chester Meetings was appointed to collect the ne- 
cessary funds, and at a subsequent meeting it was agreed " that 
John Brinton and Caleb Pusey do forthwith agree with and employ 
workmen in the building of this meeting house at Chester, on the 
place that was formerly bought for that purpose ; the situation of 
which, as also the manner of building the same is left to their dis- 
cretion, and that this meeting do defray the charge of the same, 
so that it exceed not above one hundred pounds, and there be one 
convenient chimney, at the least, and that the said John Brinton 
and Caleb Pusey do give account of what they have done." 

This building however, dragged slowly along, for Dr. Smith 
says the first meeting house at Chester " appears to have been 
completed in 1693," a statement made from an examination of the 
official record. The place of worship which for forty-three years 
was used as such by the Society is incorrectly termed " the old 
Assembly House," confusing it with the building nearer toward 
Third street on the same side of Edgmont avenue, in which the 
Assembly actually did convene. William Penn, however, frequent- 
ly spoke in the old meeting house, which, it should be remembered, 
did not include the front part of the house as it can be recalled by 
many of the present residents of Chester. The part built in 1693 
became the back building of the house atter it passed into the 
ownership of Edward Russell, in 1736, who added the two story 
front addition and changed it into a dwelling house. 



Churches at Chester. 177 

In the year last mentioned the Society found it necessary to erect 
a larger buildinfr to accommodate its increasing membership, and 
April 18, 1736, Caleb Coupland conveyed the soutliern part of the 
lot on Market street south of Third street, on which the meeting 
house now stands, to Jacob Howell, Thomas Cummings, John Owen, 
Samuel Lightfoot, John Salkeld, Jr., and John Sharpless, and the 
latter the same day executed a declaration in trust setting forth 
that they held the land as trustees and for the use of the members 
of Chester Meeting. The land thus conveyed is certainly included 
within the patent, 1686, of one and a half acres to Thomas Brasey, 
yet it must have passed back to the ownership of the Proprietary, 
for the brief of title shows that William Penn, August 20, 1705, 
conveyed one acre and ninety-five perches to Caleb Pusey, who, 
December 20, of the following year, sold the premises to Henry 
Wounley, and June 24, 1714, the latter re-conveyed the premises 
to Caleb Pusey, and he, by lease and release, March 25-26, 1723, 
conveyed the property to John Wright. The latter, who had been 
educated as a physician in England, settled in Chester in 1714, in 
1717 was appointed one of the Justices, and elected a member of 
the Assembly from Chester county in 1717-'1S, 1725-'26, when he 
removed to the " backwood," as it was then called. When Lan- 
caster couiity was formed out of Chester county, in May, 1729, he 
was appointed the President Judge, and discharged the duties of 
the office without fear or cringing to the executive power when his 
judicial independence had earned for the Judge the indignation of 
Governor Thomas. December 19, 1728, John Wright released the 
fee simple title to Caleb Coupland, he having acquired the lease- 
hold from Caleb Pusey, at a date I have not learned. As the So- 
ciety waxed stronger they required more land, the meeting house 
having been located toward the northern line of the lot, hence 
April 29, 1762, they purchased from Jesse Maris, who had acquired 
the property by descent from his father, George Maris, who in turn 
purchased it from Phebe Coppock and Henry Lewis, executors of 
Thomas Massey, March 25-26, 1739, subject to a yearly rent of ^66 
to the heirs of James Sandelands. The trustees, Jonas Preston, 
John Fairlamb, Caleb Hanison and James Barton, to whom it was 
conveyed by Jesse Maris, May 1, 1762, executed a declaration of 
trust to Chester Meeting. 



178 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

The discussion which had prevailed in the Society of F'riends du- 
ring the early part of this century respecting certain doctrinal 
points, culminated in an open rupture in 18'27, when a division took 
place and those members sustaining Elias Hicks in his views re- 
tained their connection with Chester iVJeeting, while the orthodox 
branch severed th if connection with the Chester body and erected 
the Sharpless Meeting House at Waterville. 

In I68l!, the Society of Friends> purchased and enclosed a suit- 
able lot, located on the west side of Edgmont avenue, above Sixth 
street, for a burial place, and on the 5th of the 9th month, 1683, 
John Hastings and Thomas Vernon were appointed to " fence the 
burial grounds as soon as may." This ancient God's Acre was, af- 
ter almost a century had elapsed, walled about as we now see ity 
and to that end Grace Lloyd, by her will, 6th of 4th month, 1760, 
directed her executors to "pay j£ 10 toward walling in the front 
part of the graveyard belonging to the people called Quakers in 
Chester with brick or stone." Joseph Hoskins, in his will, 31st of 
12th month, 1769, bequeathed ,£10 "for the use of enclosing or 
fencing the burying ground belonging to the friends of Chester 
Meeting in such manner as their Preparative Meeting of Chester 
shall direct and appoint, which said sum of j£10 I order to be paid 
by my executor * * into the hands of John Eyre for the 

uses aforesaid," which proves that at the date of Joseph Hoskins' 
will the burial place had not been enclosed as it is now. Within 
its walls lie the bodies of most of the noted personages of the an- 
cient Borough. David Lloyd and Grace, his wife, Caleb and David 
Coupland, Henry Hale Graham, Davis Bevan, John Salkeld, John 
Mather and almost all the first settlers of the old family names of 
Chester sleep in that neglected plot, where the remains of hundreds 
of men who fled hither to escape persecution in Europe lie forgot- 
ten, because of the prohibition by the Society of stones to mark 
the graves of those who slumber within the burial grounds belong- 
ing to their meetings. 



Churches ai Chester. 179 



ST. PAUL'S CHURCH AND BURIAL CROltND. 

A tract of ground was donated to the Swedish Church by " Arm- 
gardt Pappegoya " for glebe or church land in Upland, early in the 
history of the settlement. The plot of land on the south side of 
Third street, east of Market Square, where the old burial ground 
now is and where the first St. Paul's Church building was erected, 
was, previous to that stracture being placed there, a burying place 
for the dead of the Swedish colonists at Upland. This fact is es- 
tablished by the report of Mr. Ross, to the "Society for Propaga- 
ting the Gospel in Foreign Parts," in 1714, wherein he distinctly 
makes this declaration. He also states, they (the Swedes) "had 
likewise a Church endowed with a valuable Glebe not far from the 
place of burial, but of this building there remains no sign at this 
day." John Hill Martin thinks this reference is to the Blockhouse 
or House of Defence, which was torn down by order of Court in 
1703, an opinion which is doubtless correct. Acrelius tells us that 
the Swedes held religious services usually in the forts and House of 
Defence. The fact is satisfactorily established that the Swedes 
were obliged to have sentinels regularly posted during public wor- 
ship to apprise the congregation within of any attempted attack 
by the Indians, of which the early settlers seemed to be constantly 
apprehensive. Every student of our early annals is aware that 
after the cargo of the " Black Cat," which had been ladened with 
articles of merchandise for the Indians, became exhausted, and the 
Swedish settlers' capacity for making presents had ceased, the 
savages seriously considered in Council whether the Europeans 
should be exterminated or permitted to remain. An old Indian 
succeeded in preventing a breach between the two races by assur- 
ing the young braves that courageous and vigilent men, armed with 
swords and muskets, would be difficult to subdue. The clergymen 
were particularly obnoxious to the savages, because the latter be- 
lieved that during divine services the minister — he alone speaking 
and all the rest remaining silent — was exhorting the congregation 
against the Indians. Acrelius also tells us that a blockhouse an- 
swered the purpose very well (as a church.) The Indians were not 
always to be depended upon that they would not make an incursion, 



180 Historical Sketch of Chester, 

fall upon the Christians, and capture «lieir whole flock. It was, 
therefore, necessary for them to have the religious houses as a 
place of defense for the body as well as the soul. The churches 
were so built that after a suitable elevation, like any other house, 
a projection was made some courses higher, out of which they 
could shoot ; so that if the heathen fell upon them, which could 
not be done Avithout their coming up to the house, the Swedes could 
shoot down upon them continually, and the heathen who used only 
bows and arrows, could do them little or no injury. That the 
blockhouse at Wicaco was used as a church we have record, bence, 
in all probability the like structure at Upland was employed for a 
similar purpose. 

In 1700, Rev. Mr. Evans was sent to Pennsylvania by the "So- 
ciety for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," and lo- 
cated in Philadelphia. He is frequently mentioned in the History 
of the Society, as going to Chester, Chichester, Concord and Rad- 
nor, each about twenty miles distant from Philadelphia, and while 
constant allusion is made to a church edifice existing in that city, 
no intimation is given of any such building in either of the other 
places designated. I am aware that in taking down the old St. 
Paul's Church building in July, 1850, after it had stood one hun- 
dred and forty-eight years, two bricks, burned exceedingly hard 
and considerably larger in size than those in use at the present day, 
closely cemented together and with the figures 1 642 cut upon them 
were found. These numerals must have been made upon them 
many years subsequent to that date, for in 1644 there was not a 
house standing in the present limits of Chester. Independently of 
that fact we have documentary record of the exact date of the 
building, so circumstantially set forth, that there is no room re- 
maining for doubt. 

In '• An Account of the Building of St. Paul's Church, Chester," 
furnished to the " Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 
Foreign Parts," Mr. Ross, the then Missionary of the Society, in 
his report June 25, 1714, says: 

"In the Swedish Dormitory— the old Swedish burial ground — 
James Sandelands, of Chester, (or as it was first called, Upland,) 
Merchant, a man of good reputation in the country, was on account 
of affinity interred to keep up the memory of this founder of a 
growing family; twas agreed amongst his relations that his grave, 



Churches at Chester. 181 



as also that of his kindred and family, who were or might be buried 
there should be distinguished & set apart from the rest of the 
burying ground by an enclosure or wall of stone. This design was 
no sooner formed & noised abroad, but it was happily suggested by 
a projecting fellow in Town, that, if it seemed good to Mr. Sande- 
lands' relations, the intended stone wall about the place of the in- 
terment might be with somewhat more charges carried up and 
formed into a small chapel or church. Tliis new motion was well 
liked by ye sd relr.tions and encouraged by everybody in the neigh- 
borhood that wished well to the church of England, but they who 
put life into this proposal & prosperously brought it to pass were 
Joseph Yeates, merchant in Chester, and James Sandelands, son to 
the above named Mr. Sandelands, the latter of which two gentle- 
men, besides other gifts, gave some land to enlarge the church 
yard, but the former, to wit: Mr. Yeates, a zealous asserter of our 
constitution in church and State, must be allowed to have been the 
main promoter of the founding of St. Paul's upon Delaware." 

The report further alludes to other persons " Parishers who were 
chief helpers to carry on the work" — Jeremy CoUett, John Han- 
mim, Henry Pierce, Ralph Pile and Thomas Barnsly, but especially 
does he commend Thomas Powell for the gift of a valuable piece 
of land, '-'for a minister's house, garden and other conveniences." 
He also applauds Hon. Colonel Francis Nicholson, of whom he says : 
" We may safely say no man parted more freely with his money to 
promote the interest of the Church, in these parts, nor contributed 
so universally towards ye erection of Christian synagogues in dif- 
ferent and distant plantations in America." 

The "small but compact fabric of brick," thus erected and said 
to be "one of the neatest on this Continent," was forty-nine feet 
in length by twenty-six feet in breadth, and was well and substan- 
tially finished inside. The main entrance which was wide and spa- 
cious, closed by double doors, was at the north side of the Church, 
and the access to the building was from Market street, through the 
yard. 

Queen Anne, whom Horace Walpole dubbed '' the wet nurse of 
the church," presented to the parish a handsome pulpit, a commu- 
nion table " well rail'd in and set out with a rich cloth, and a neat 
chalice;" the two former articles were located at the east end of 
the edifice. This chalice and salver, the Queen's gift, as well as a 
similar chalice, presented to the congregation by Sir Jeffrey Jef- 
fries, are still in possession of the Church Wardens, and employed 



182 Historical Sketch of (Jhester. 

in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper to this d ly, but the pulpit 
and connnunion table have long since been removed and their 
present whereabouts, if in existence, is entirely forgotten. The 
chalices and their salvers are of hammered and very pure silver, 
and the one presented by the Queen has engraved upon it the 
words, " Annte Reginae." 

The inside of the Church was divided into four parts by two 
aisles, one extending from the double doors and the other from the 
pulpit to the extreme western part of the Church. The roof was 
oak, and the rafters white oak, hewed with a broad axe. The 
chancel was spacious and paved with brick, as were also the aisles 
In the west end of the Church and directly opposite the pulpit, 
built into the wall, was the well-known slab of gray sand stone, six 
feet in length by three in breadth, now in the Sunday School room 
of the new Church edifice, erected to the memory of James San- 
delands, the elder. Along the borders of the old slab in large 
capital letters are the words : 

Here lies interred the bodie of 

James Sandelands, Merchant 

IN Upland, in Pensilvania, 

WHO departed this mortail life 

Apeile te 12, 1692, aged 56 tears, 

and his wife, 

Ann Sandelands. 

"Its face is divided into two parts, the upper bearing in cypher 
the initials J. S. and A. S., the arms of the Sandelands family — 
Argent, a band Azure, on the border dividing the upper from the 
lower part are the words, « Vive Memor Lethi FFugit Hora.' The 
lower half contains many emblems of mortality, the tolling bell, 
the passing bell, the skull and cross bones, the empty hour-glass, 
an upright coffin bearing on its side the words ' Memento Mori,' 
< Time Deum,' and in either corner crossed, a scepter and mattock, 
and a mattock and spade." 

The tablet at the present writing is disintegrating, and in a few 
years more will, in all probability, crumble away. 

James Sandelands, tlie elder, was a Scotchman, and there is some 
reason to believe that his father was Captain Jacob Everson Sande- 
lyii — the name perhaps incorrectly spelled by the early annalists — 
who, as master of the ship " Scotch Dutchman," visited the Swed- 



Churches at Chester. 183 

ish settlements on the Delaware in the year 1646, and sold to the 
Governor "duffel cloth and other goods" to the value of 2,500 
guilders. His mother we know lived here in February 1683, for 
she is mentioned in the trial of Margaret Matson, of Ridley, for 
witchcraft before William Penn and the Provincial Council in th vt 
year. The first allusion to James Sandelands, is in the patent of 
August 6, 1665, "for two lots of land in Upland at Delaware, 
upon the North side of the creek or kill." On June 13, 1670, 
patents were granted to him for two other lots similarly situated, 
adjoining the property of his father-in-law, Joran Keen. Sande- 
lands was a soldier, for in 1669 his name occurs in the List of Dis- 
charged Soldiers, now in the office of the Secretary of State, at 
Albany, New York. In 1675, he was captain of a company of mi- 
litia, recruited from the territory within the jurisfliction of the Up- 
land Court. While in command of this company he was accused 
of "being the cause of the death of an Indyan," and pleading not 
guilty, was " cleared by proclamation." Subsequently he was 
found guilty of some misdemeanor which Prof. Gregory B. Keen 
thinks may have been the same charge revived, and " it was or- 
dered that he pay the sum of 300 guilders — the one-halfe to bee 
towards the building of the new Church at Weckakoe, and the 
other to the Sheriff" and was " put off from being Captain." 

In a deed in 1680, he is designated as " merchant," but there is 
no evidence to show what particular goods he dealt in, excepting a 
record that having purchased tobacco in Maryland, which was not de- 
livered according to agreement, "a Certayne great Boate or Siallop," 
belonging to the delinquent consignor, wais attached and " publicqly 
sould " The records of the early Courts show that he frequently 
appeared as attorney for the suitors before that tribunal. In 1677, 
he is mentioned as the only person on the Delaware river, from 
Upland, northwardly, who owned a slave, and is recorded as one of 
the " responsible housekeepers" at this place. He was appointed 
by Col. William Markham, one of the Deputy Governor's Council 
in 1681, and was constituted one of the Justices of the newly or- 
ganized Upland Court. When William Penn arrived in the " Wel- 
come," he visited Sandelands, as the latter then owned the largest 
part of the present Middle and North Wards of Chester, and it 
was " talkt among the people " of that day " that it was with In- 



184 Historical Sketch, of Chester. 

tent to have built a City " at Upland, " but that he and Sanderlin 
could not agree." Hence it is due to his action that the metropo- 
lis of Pennsylvania was not located at this point. From 1688 to 
1690, he was a member of the General Assembly of the Province 
of Pennsylvania. He would seem to have been of a jovial tem- 
perament, which contrasted decidedly with the Quaker stillness and 
sobriety of his English neighbors. He was presented by the Grand 
Jury ''■ for keeping an ordinary att Chester without Lysence, as 
also for keeping disorders in his house upon the 1st day of the 
week. The Court dispences with his Keeping the ordinary until 
the Provincial Council shall sit, & remit the other on his promising 
not to do so any more." However, at a meeting of the Council, 
" ye 18th of ye 3d mo., 1686, upon ye Petition of James Sander- 
ling, for a Lycence to Keep an Ordinary, it was granted him." 
The house thus licensed was the Double House, heretofore men- 
tioned. James Sandelands died April 12, 1692, aged fifty-six 
years. I am thus particular in giving the circumstances of the Jife 
of this early colonist, as far as known, because St. Paul's was a 
memorial church, erected to keep him in the recollection of the in- 
habitants of Chester, wherein he had passed a busy and enterpris- 
ing life. 

His wife, Ann, after a brief widowhood, married Peter Baynton, 
who subsequently abandoned her and returned to England, leaving 
her in such destitute circumstances that the Provincial Council, 
May 19, 1698, ordered her to appropriate the residue of his pro- 
perty in Chester for her support. He returned subsequently, and 
appai'ently was repentant for his misdeeds. Ann died, and Octo- 
ber 5, 1704, was buried by the side of her first husband, James 
Sandelands. As her name appears on the old tablet, in St. Paul's 
Church, it proves that the stone was not set up by the descendants 
of Sandelands until after thit date. 

The old church must have had a sun dial, perhaps over its main 
door, such as is still to be seen at the Court House of Somerset 
county, Maryland, tor in 1704 the wardens claim credit for " cash 
pd ye ferymen for Bringing Down ye Dyal, Is. 8d., ac of nayles for 
setting up ye Dyall, Is. 2d., money spent and pd ye men for setting 
It up, 4s." In the early times a bell, to remind the congregation 
that the time for public worship was at hand, had to be rung, as 




SANBBLANDS TABLET IN ST PAUL'S CHURCH, CHE?TB.R. 



Churches at Chester. 185 

very few persons in the Colony owned watches, and in the houses of 
the wealthy only the high eight-day clocks, imported from Enjjland, 
ticked the passing hours. Hence we find an entry in the warden's 
book, under date "25 xber, (Christmas) 1713, as follows : '• CufFy 
was paid 6s. 6d., and Dick, David Roberts' boy, one shilling for 
ringing the church bell." This bell, I believe, was a small one, 
such as the auctioneers now use, the sound of which on a clear, 
quiet day, could be heard at considerable distance. I am aware 
that there is a tradition that Queen Anne presented the church 
with a bell, but there is no evidence to show this, although, as is well 
known, the sovereign lady made gifts to all the Episcopal churches 
in the Colonies, and the testimony of the church books tends to 
disprove the story of the Queen Anne bell. At a meeting of the 
vestry, March 30, 1741, twenty-three members of the congregation 
subscribed funds to " & for in consideration of purchasing a bell 
for said church," and at a meeting of the same body, April 15, 
1745, a bell tower, or turret, to hang the bell was ordered "to be 
built of stone in the foundation from out to out, Twelve by Four- 
teen foot." The belfry, built according to these directions, was 
to the west of and entirely detached from the Church. The bell, 
which was made iu England, and had cast on it the words " Roger 
Rice, Chester, 1748," was paid for in advance in 1742, by a bill of 
exchange for ,£30, and, as the sum obtained by subscription 
amounted to only half that amount, John Mather donated the re- 
maining j615. 

The stonework, twenty- five feet in height, was surmounted by a 
frame structure, in which the bell hung. The tower, including the 
wooden addition, was oyer fifty feet. The belfry was entered by a 
door on the south side. The frame super-structure was square 
until it reached the plate on which the rafters rested, and the roof 
faced four ways receding to a point which was ornamented with a 
weather vane. In each side of the framework was a slatted win- 
dow, so that the sound of the bell would not be obstructed any 
more than necessary. Within the interior was a rough ladder, 
which the sexton had to climb when he tolled the bell, although for 
church services it was rung by a long rope, which descended to 
within a few feet of the ground floor. 

The foundation of the ancient structure was laid July, 1 702, and 



\S6 Historical Sketch of Ghesien 

on Sunday, January 24, 1703, (new style) St. Paul's day, the edifice 
was opened to public worship, Rev. John Talbot preaching the first 
sermon in the church. The general impression is that Rev. George 
Keith was the first clergyman to hold divine services in St. Paul's, 
but in that gentleman's '• Journal and Travels," published in Lon- 
don, 1706, occurs- this passage: "Sunday, January 24, 1702,"^ 
(1703 N. S.) "I preached at Philadelphia, on Matthew, V., 17, 
both in the forenoon and afternoon, Mr. Evans, tliC minister, hav- 
ing that day been at Chester, in Pennsylvania, to accompany Mr, 
Talbot, who was to preach the first sermon in the church after it 
was built." Mr. Keith did preach here on February 7, and August 
3, of that year, and records: " We were kindly entertained at the 
house of Jasper Yeats there," and, on "Sunday, April 9, 1704, I 
preached at Chester, on John iv. 24, being my last sermon there.'^ 
In 1704, Rev. Henry Nichols was appointed missionary to St. 
Paul's Parish, by the " Society for the Propagation of the Grospel," 
and reported that the people were well inclined to the Church of 
England, although they had previous to that time no " fixed min- 
ister till now," and that the congregation had made a subscription 
of j£60 a year toward the support of their rector. 

In 1718, Rev. John Humphrey, who was in charge of the parish, 
reported to the Society, that he could not get a house in Chester to 
live in and therefore had to buy a plantation of a thousand acres, 
about three miles distant. He was not altogether accep table to 
parishioners, and on April 5, 1717, they petitioned the Society to 
appoint another person, which was done, and Samuel Hesselins was 
substituted in his stead. 

Thirty-four years after Mr. Humphreys had complained of the 
absence of a parsonage, in 1752, the Rev. Thomas Thompson writes 
to the Society : " I found no Church wardens or vestry, no house for 
the minister to live in, nay, not a fit house to hire." Mr. Thomp- 
son, it seems, formed no better opinion of the people than the peo- 
ple did of the rector, for in " Rev. Dr. Perry's papers relating to 
the History of the Church in Pennsylvania, 1680 to 1778," Rev. 
Thomas Thompson is referred to as a man of bad character. 

The congregation, however, failed to provide for the Missionaries, 
as the rules of the Society required, and in 1762 a notice was given 
them, that if they did not procure better accommodations for their 



Churches at Chester. 187 



^clergyman and " maintain a glebe, a dwelling liouse, andj their 
Church and burying grounds in decent order and repair," the So- 
ciety would withdraw its mission from them. To accomplish these 
ends the congregation issued a scheme in January of that year, to 
raise ,£562 10s. Od., by a lottery. The advertisement, after set- 
ting forth these facts, states : " They," the congregation, " find 
themselves under the disagi-eeable necessity to apply to the publick 
by way of a Lottery, not doubting that it will meet with all suit- 
able encouragement from the well-disposed of every denomination, 
as it is intended for the G-lory of God and consequently for the 
good of the Province." There were 1,733 prizes and 3,267 blanks, 
making 5,000 tickets in all. The drawing was to take place either 
in Chester or Philadelphia, on March 1, 1762, and continue until 
all the tickets were drawn. The managers add this addenda to 
their advertisement : 

"N. B, — As the above sum will fall vastly short of completing 
everything as could be wished, it is hoped that if any are scrupu- 
lous as to the method of raising money, yet wish well to the Desion, 
and are willing to promote the same, if such Persons^will deliver 
their Liberality into the hands of Mr. Charles Thomson, Merchant, 
in Philadelphia, or to any of the Managers aforesaid, it will be 
gratefully acknowledged and carefully applied accordingly." 

There is little of interest connected with the Church for more 
than twenty years following the lottery. The brewing trouble with 
the Mother Country and the stormy days of the Revolution seem to 
have so engrossed the attention of the people, that many things 
which must have occurred during that period and which should have 
been noted, have been omitted. This statement applies equally to 
the county records, and the student of our annals will be surprised 
to find how little can be gathered from an examination of them. 

In 1784, after peace was assured, an effort was made to form the 
various parishes in the Colonies into dioceses, and St, Paul's, of 
Chester, was one of the churches which joined in the Act of Asso- 
ciation, and sent Dr. William Currie and James Withey to repre- 
sent the parish in the preliminary meeting in Philadelphia, March 
29, 1784, to bring about such form of church government, and at 
the meeting in Christ Church, in that city, May 24, 1785, when the 
Diocese of Pennsylvania was formed, the delegates from St. Paul's 
were John Crosby, Jr., and John Shaw. 



188 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

In the summer of 1826, two strangers without means, died in the 
Borough, and, being no Potter's Field here, their bodies were burio I 
on the western side of Welsh street, or Love Lane, as it Avas then 
calkd, below Third street, and just outside of St. Paul's church- 
yard. The bmk then, as with country liighways, was higher than 
the roadway, and the dead strangers were buried therein. The 
Philadelphia papers of that date contained several articles reflect- 
ing on the Borough authorities, for not providing a suitable place 
to deposit the bodies of these unfortunate men. For many years 
their graves could be pointed out and the superstitious colored peo- 
ple always passed the spot with rapid steps, the beating of their 
hearts much accelerated, and they looked backward frequently as 
they hurried by It is said that the lassies, as they neared the spot 
while walking with the gallants of that day, drew more close to 
the sides of their male companions, as if for shelter against some 
imagined horror. In time the coffins and bodies crumbled away, 
not a vestige of them being found when the sidewalk was cut down. 

In ISdS, the old Church proving too small for the accommoda- 
tion of the congregation, extensive repairs were made to the an- 
cient edifice. The old pews were increased in number, each of the 
large square ones were made into two small ones, the high backs 
lowered, the double doors walled up, a gallery built across the west- 
ern end, and under it the main entrance to the Church was made. 
The old pulpit with the sounding board was not removed, and the 
great oriel window to the east, in the rear of the clergyman's desk, 
was not disturbed. These changes made it necessary to remove 
the old Sandelands tablet. It was placed in the wall on the out- 
side of the building, and during the spring, when the stonework 
was being whitewashed, it was repeatedly treated to a coat of that 
abominable compound by the sexton's wife, who did all chores of 
that character about the Church. The ancient bell tower was torn 
down and a small belfry built in the roof, at the western end of the 
building. The bell, which with such difficulty had been procured 
from England more than a century before, had become damaged by 
long service, and it was determined to have it recast. Greorge W. 
Piper and J. Gilford .Johnson took the bell in a wagon to Philadel- 
phia, to M^'iltbank's foundry, for that purpose. Before this bell 
was recast the foundry was destroyed by fire, and the heat was so 



Churches at Chester. 189 

great that tons of metal were fused into a mass. Wiltbank, how- 
ever, fm-nished a bell, but it is more than probable that not an 
ounce of the material in the old one cast by Roger Eice entered 
into the composition of the one which hangs in the belfry of the 
present Church. No doubt but that the good people of that day 
believed they were doing a Avise act in disturbing the antiquated 
appearance of th ancient structure and decking it out in modern 
toggery, just as their successors fifteen years afterwards were ac- 
tuated by the same idea when they razed the entire building to the 
ground, and that, too, without getting enough stones from the 
ruins to lay a third of the basement of the new edifice. Matters 
drifted on with the Parish until 1850, when the change in the cur- 
rent set in, and Chester, after slumbering a century and a half, 
started into activity. St. Paul's Church awakened with the rest, 
and began to make provisions for the new order of things But 
the error of that day, and it was a serious one, consisted in de- 
stroying absolutely the old sanctuary. 

The new Church structure, which was erected on the north side 
of Third street, was built after a plan prepared by T. U. Walter, 
architect of Philadelphia, and the cost, it was believed, would not 
exceed five thousand dollars, although it ultimately cost nearly 
double that sum. The corner stone was laid July 25, 1859. The 
building was in the Gothic style, and was approached by a flight of 
stone steps, one of which was the slab whi.ch had formerly covered 
the remains of Robert French, and to-day is one of the flagging in 
the sidewalk to the Sunday School on the east side of the Church. 

Robert French was a native of Scotland, and was the second 
husband of James Sandelands' daughter Mary. He was a promi- 
nent man in his times in the Lower Counties, and was one of the 
three gentlemen to whom William Penn addressed his noted letter 
respecting the pirates, who were reported to have landed near New 
Castle, "full of gold," about the beginning of the year 1700, and 
whom he instructed French to discover and arrest, if possible. He 
was a member of the Church of England, and one of the founders 
of Immanuel Church, at New Castle. He filled many important 
offices in the Colonial Government, and after a lengthened illness 
died in Phikdelphia, September 7, 1713, and was interred in St. 
Paul's Church, in this city. His tombstone, which is the oldest 



190 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

except that of James Sandelancls, and Francis Brooks, to whom I 
will refer hereafter, in St. Paul's, was an ordinary slab of syenite, 
six feet long and three and a half feet wide, and the inscription, 
now almost obliterated, read : " Robert French, obt, Sept. the 7th, 
1713." His widow married in about a year after his death, for 
the third time, Robert Gordon, Chief Justice of the Supreme 
Court of the Lower Counties on the Delaware. 

David, the son of Robert and Mary (Sandelands) French, was a 
poet of no slight attainments, and his verses are spoken of with 
wainn commendation by Duyckinck Brothers, in their " Cyclopedia 
of American Literature." "The smoothness and elegance of the 
versification," they say, " testify to the accomplished scholarship 
of the writer." He was Attorney General for the Lower Counties, 
and in 1728, was Prothonotary of the Courts of Delaware, an office 
he retained during life. He was also Speaker of the Assembly, 
and was appointed by the High Courts of Chancery in England, one 
of the Examiners in the case of Penn vs. Lord Baltunore. He died 
in August, 1742, and was buried in St. Paul's Church, on the 26th 
of the same month, " by the side of his father." The Pennsylva- 
nia Gazette, for August 26, 1742, states: 

" The Beginning of this Week died at New Castle, David French, 
Esq , late Speaker of the Assembly of that Government, et., a 
young Gentleman of uncommon Parts, Learning and Probiety, 
join'd with the most consummate Good Nature ; and therefore uni- 
versally beloved and regretted. The Corps was brought up to Ches- 
ter, and yesterday interred in the Church there, the Funeral being 
attended by many Gentlemen, his Friends, from this city." 

The place where the remains of the noted father and son lie in 
the graveyard is now unknown. In all probability they were in- 
terred in the chancel of the old Church building. 

The new building was opened Sunday, May 4, 1851, Rev. Mr. 
Balch, officiating. The constant growth of our busy city and the 
increase in the number of the worshippers soon began to tax the 
seating capacity of the new structure, and for several years after 
the close of the war it became evident that additional room must 
be provided to meet this want. In 1872, the demand was so im- 
perative that the congregation determined that the Church building 
must be remodeled, and steps were taken promptly to carry out 
that end. On Sunday, June 14, 1872, services were held in the 



Churches at Chester. 191 



sanctuary for the last time previous to the changes being made, and 
for ten months the edifice was closed during the alterations. The 
south end of the Church was demolished, and a new addition, con- 
siderably increasing the seating capacity, a handsome Gothic front, 
which approaches closely to the sidewalk, and a towering steeple 
and belfry erected. On Sunday, April 13, 1873, the congregation 
renewed religious services in St Paul's, and Rev. Henry Brown, 
the rector, preached a historical sermon. 

John Hill Martin, in his " History of Chester," gives the follow- 
ing list of ministers of St. Paul's, from 1702 to the present time: 



Rev. Evan Evans _ . _ 


1702 to 1704 


a 


Henry Nichols, _ _ _ 


- 1704 " 1708 


a 


George Ross, - - - . 


1708 " 1714 


a 


John Humphreys, - - - 


- 1714 " 1726 


u 


Samuel Hesselius, 


1726 " 1728 


a 


Richard Backhouse, 


- 1728 " 1749 


a 


Thomas Thompson, , - 


1751 " 


a 


Israel Acrelius, _ _ _ 


- 1756 " 


a 


George Craig, 


1758 " 1781 


a 


James Conner, _ - _ 


- 1788 « 1791 


a 


Joseph Turner, 


1791 « 1798 


i( 


Levi Heath, _ _ _ 


- 1796 « 1798 


it 


Joshua Reece, 


1803 " 1805 


ti 


William Pryce, _ _ _ 


- 1815 " 1818 


a 


Jacob Morgan Douglass, 


1818 « 1822 


i( 


Rich'd Umstead Morgan, 


- 1822 « 1831 


(( 


John Baker Clemson, D, D., 


1831 « 1835 


a 


Richard D. Hall, 


- 1835 « 1837 


ii 


Mortimer Richmond Talbot, 


1837 « 1841 


a 


Greenberry W. Ridgely, 


- 1842 « 1843 


ii 


Anson B. Hard, Associate Rector, 


1844 " 1848 


a 


Charles W. Quick, - 


. 1849 « 1850 


i( 


Lewis P. W. Balch, D. D., 


1850 " 1853 


a 


Nicholas Sayre Harris, 


- 1853 " 1855 


a 


Daniel Kendig, 


1855 « 1859 


a 


M. Richmond Talbot, 


- 1859 « 1861 


a 


J. Pinckney Hammond, 


1861 " 1863 


li 


Henry Brown, _ _ _ 


- 1863 « 



Within the old churchyard are gathered many generations of our 
people, and therein mingles with the earth the ashes of the earliest 
proprietors of our city. I believe Joran Keen, the original Swed- 
ish settler of Chester, lies in that ancient God's Acre, and to that 



192 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

fact I ascribe the inclination his descendants and connections mani- 
fested for many years to be interred in the present Saint Paul's 
burial ground. However, it is not my purpose to speculate on the 
unknown, but to refer briefly to the distinguished dead who lie 
therein. 

Ten years ago, after the addition to the front part of the Church 
was begun, Dr. Allen showed me, in a closet in the Sunday School, 
the noted tombstone which for many years attracted the attention 
of all strangers visiting the old chui'ch yard, because of its an- 
tiquity, the manner in which the sculptor had performed his work, 
and the singularity of the inscription. The stone was cracked and 
in bad condition. The inscription reads: — 

FOR 
THE MEMORY OF 

FRANCIS BROOKS, 

who died August 

the 19, 1704 

Aged 50 years. 

In Barbarian bondage 

And cruel tyranny 

For ten years together 

I served in Slavery 

After this Mercy brought me 

To my country fair 

And last I drowned was 

In River Delaware. 

John Hill Martin states that Francis Brooks was a negro. The 
inscription would seem to indicate that Brooks was a native of the 
American Colonies, and as his age at death precludes the idea of 
his birth in Upland, the chances are that he was a New Englander, 
or Virginian. 

One of the most interesting monuments is that on which is cut 
the following inscription : 

Here lieth 

Paul Jackson, A. M. 

He was the first who received a Degree 

In the College of Philadelphia. 
A Man of virtue, worth and knowledge. 
Died 1767, aged 36 years. 
Dr. Paul Jackson was noted as one of the most accomplished 



Churches at Chestrr. 193 

schoTl irs oF his day in the Colony. When quite a young man he 
was appointed to the professorship of the Grreek and Latin Lan- 
guages in the College of Philadelphia, now the University of Penn- 
sylvania. His studious application impaired his health, and iu 
1758, when General Forbes led the expedition against Fort Du 
Quesne, he joined the army as a captain of one of the companies 
of Royal Americans. His active life as a soldier restoring him, he 
determined to study medicine. After he had received his degree 
he came to Chester, where he married Jane, daughter of John 
Mather, and practiced his profession with marked success. He 
"was Chief Burgess of the Borough at the time of his death. His 
widow, in three years after his decease, married Dr. David Jack- 
son, a brother of her first husband, and who, during the Revolu- 
tionary War, was Surgeon General of the Pennsylvania troops. 

One of the most noted graves in St. Paul's Ground — at least 
within recent years, for, strange as it may appear, neither Trego in 
his "Geography and Historical Accounts of Pennsylvania," or 
Burrowes' " State Book of Pennsylvania," both published within 
the last forty years, make any mention of John Morton — is that of 
the signer of the Declaration of Independence, whose remains lie 
beneath a plain shaft of marble, nine feet in height, its four sides 
forming precisely the four cardinal points of the compass. The 
inscription on the west side of the monolith is as follows : 
Dedicated to the memory of 
John Morton, 
A member of the First American Congress from the State of Penn- 
sylvania, Assembled in New York in 1765, and of the next 
Congress, assembled in Philadelphia in 1774. 
Born A. D., 1724— Died April 1777. 

On the east side of the shaft is as follows : 

" In voting by States upon the question of the Independence of 
the American Colonies, there was a tie until the vote of Pennsyl- 
vania was given, two members of which voted in the affirmative, 
and two in the negative. The tie continued until the vote of the 
last member, John Morton, decided the promulgation of the Glo- 
rious Diploma of American Freedom." 

On the south side of the stone is cut the statement : 
" In 1775, while speaker of the Assembly of Pennsylvania, John 
Morton was elected a Member of Congress, and in the ever me- 
morable session of 1776, he attended that august body for the last 



194 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Jime, establishing his name in the grateful remembrance of the 
American People by signing the Declaration of Independence." 

On the north side of the shaft is inscribed the following sentence^ 
to which I desire particularly to direct the attention of the reader. 
It is • 

" John Morton being censured by his friends for his boldness in 
giving his casting vote for the Declaration of Independence, his- 
prophetic spirit dictated from his death bed the following message 
to them : ' Tell them they shall live to see the hour when they 
shall acknowledge it to have been the most glorious service I ever 
rendered to my country." 

A little over nine months after the Declaration was signed, John 
Morton died, his act in voting for the great Charter of American 
Freedom having hastened his end. It is well known that vi^hen the 
Declaration was made it wa& accepted by more than two-thirds of 
the United Colonies as a mistake, and as for a time reverses seemed 
to wait upon the American arms, the feeling that a fatal error had 
been made became general Even the army did not receive the 
news of the act with enthusiasmj for it will be recalled that when 
the Continental forces were at Fort Washington and the news of 
the Declaration reached them, they were ordered to form in a 
square. ;Vft3r pnyer by Rev. Dr. Magaw, the document was read 
to the soldiers. When it was finished there was, for an instant, a 
death-like silence. G-en. Thomas Mifflin, who was a gifted speak- 
er, knowing there was no time for reflection, sprang on a cannon, 
and in a clear, full voice, exclaimed : " My lads, the Rubicon is 
crossed ! Let us- give three cheers for the Declaration." The ef- 
fect was electrical. The men cheered enthusiastically, and although 
not a note of dissatisfaction was heard, still the correspondence and 
diaries of that period show how doubtful the measure was believed 
to be, Morton was in a neighborhood and among friends who de^ 
&ired the war should cease, whose religious conviction was against 
strife, and hence he was met on all sides with the opinion that he 
had done a wrong to his country in his vote. The series of disas- 
ters which followed immediately after the Declaration was pro- 
claimed, lent additional earnestness to the statement of these 
"friends" — as the monument designates them — ^and his sensitive 
nature could not bear up against their reproaches. John Morton's 
last year of life was an unhappy one, and although it gave him 



Churches at Chester. 1'95 

Immortality of fame, it added not to his joy, for lie was_liarassed 
and annoyed by the reproaches of many of his constituents. His 
last words show how deeply their censure had impressed itself upon 
his mind. 



ST. LUKE'S P. E. CHURCH. 

The Gothic edifice, located at the south-east corner of Third and 
Broomall streets, was built of granite, in 1866, the cornerstone 
being laid February 1, of the same year, with appropriate ceremo- 
nies. Right Rev. William Bacon Stevens, Bishop of Pennsylva- 
nia, officiated, assisted by Rev. Henry Brown and other clergymen. 
The funds of the building committee having become exhausted be- 
fore the Church was completed, the congregation for a time wor- 
shipped in the edifice which was then without pews, settees being 
used in their places, and the unplastercd walls presenting a rough 
and uninviting appearance. After Sunday, May 8, 1870, services 
were held there in the morning and evening, Thomas R. List, a 
student at the Divinity School of Philadelphia, being employed as 
lay reader, which duties he discharged until June 19, 1873, when 
he became rector of the parish. The Church now firmly established, 
was due largely to the efforts of John Burrows McKeever, Wm. 
Ward, Samuel Archbold, Samuel Eccles, Jr., Wm, H. Green, Wm. 
A. Todd, Major Joseph R. T. Coates, and their wives and other la- 
dies of St. Paul's Church, the South Ward, and South Chester. 
Edward A. Price and wife presented the parish with a handsome 
communion service — silver tankard, paten, chalices and plates for 
alms, while F. Stanhope Hill and Mrs. Hannah Depue gave the 
pulpit Bible. On May 19, 1874, St. Luke's Church was admitted 
into the Diocesan Convention, Samuel Archbold and William Ward 
being the first lay deputies. In 1874, John Burrows McKeever, 
who was an ardent friend of the new parish, died, and through the 
efforts of Rev. Mr. List a memorial font was placed in the church 
in whose behalf he labored so zealously. In September, 1875, Rev. 
Mr- List, having received a call to a church in Philadelphia, re- 



IM Historical' Sketch of Chester. 

signed the rectorship. In October of the same year, Rev. (xeorge 
Clifford Moore, the present rector, was called, and almest immedi- 
ately after his installation, he began the advocacy of the abolition 
of pew rents substituting therefor voluntary contributions — or en- 
velope system. In 1876, Charles Kenworthy bequeathed $350 to 
the parish, which sum was applied towards liquidating a mortgage 
debt, and the following year, Elizabeth Kerlin, by will, gave $150, 
which was used in a like manner, until in 1880, the entire debt was 
extinguiihad. The parish, at present, is in a flourishing condition. 



ST. MICHAEL, THE ARCHANGEL. 

The imposing Catholic Church of St. Michael's is the second 
sanctuary erected on the site, the first having been razed in 1874 
to make room for the present edifice. The church organization ex- 
tends backward in the history of our city forty years. In 1842 a 
number of Catholics, employed in this neighborhood — the nearest 
church being locited nine miles distant — determined to establish 
one of that denomination in the borough. Application was made 
to Rt. Rev. Francis Patrick Kendrick, Bishop of Philadelphia, for 
permission to organize a congregation and ei-ect a church in Ches- 
ter. In response to the request the Bishop assigned Rev. Philip 
Sheridan to the parish, and earnestly did he labor to accomplish 
the end in view. July 12, 1842, a lot was purchased on Edgmont 
road and September 23, of the same year, the corner stone was laid 
by Bishop Kendrick. June 25, of the year following the church 
was dedicated to Almighty God under the patronage of St. Michael, 
the Archangel, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Moriarty preaching the dedicatory 
sermon. For many years the building was the most noticable in 
Chester, and so conspicuous was it that the gilded cross, surmount- 
ing the lofty spire, could be seen glittering many miles away, as the 
town was approached in any direction. For nearly seven years no 
regular pastor was assigned to the parish. Occasional visits were 
made by Fathers Sheridan, Lane, Souren, Walsh, Amat, and Dr. 
O'Hara, until July 12, 1850, when Rev. Arthur P. Haviland, who 



Churches at Chester. 197 

had been ordained a priest in Philadelphia, June 29, of the same 
year, was appointed to the charge of St. Michael's parish. So faith- 
fully did he labor, that in a short time the building became too 
small to accommodate the worshipers, and for many years the parish 
struggled under that difficulty 

In 1854, the parsonage adjoining the sanctuary was built and the 
same year Father Haviland was assigned an assistant. Rev Patrick 
McEnroe. On September 20, 1858, a bell, the present one, weigh- 
ing 1,000 pounds, was raised to its designated place in the tower, 
and for almost a quarter of a century its well-known tones have 
daily be n heard ia our thriving town. On the occasion of raising 
the bell to its allotted place a large concourse of people was pres- 
ent, and the services were conducted by the Right Rev. Bishop 
Wood. In 1867, Father Haviland went to Europe, and during his 
absence the parish was in charge of his assistant. Rev. Edward 
McKee, Father McEnroe having been removed to Mauch Chunk. 
On the return of Father Haviland, Father McKee was assigned to 
Catasauqua, and Rev. Father Shankey became his assistant tor a 
brief period, to be followed in succession by Rev. Fathers William 
F. Cook, Thomas McGlynn, Hugh McGlynh, James Timmins and 
Patrick J . Mackin. 

Early in 1873, notwithstanding the parish had been divided and 
the Church of the Immaculate Heart erected in the South Ward, 
it became evident that the old edifice was insufficient to accommo- 
date the congregation, and it was resolved to erect a new sanctuary. 
Before the plans to this end could be fully matured, the financial 
disturbances in the fall of that year so paralyzed business that it 
was deemed inexpedient to begin the demolition of the old and the 
erection of the new edifice until the industrial dejection had, in a 
measure, abated. In the summer of the following year, permission 
was granted by the Right Rev. Bishop Wood to demolish the old 
structure, and rear in its stead a larger and more attractive build- 
ing. To that end, on July 29, 1874, the pews were taken out of 
the Church, and the parochial school house, which had been erected 
in 1866, was prepared for use as a temporary chapel. August 11, 
following, the excavations for the foundation of the new edifice 
were made, and on the 31st of the same month the old building 
was leveled to the earth. The corner stone of the new Church was 



198 Historical Sketh of Chester. 

laid Sunday, November 1, 1874, by the Right Rev. Bishop Wood. 
The new structure is 1 78 feet in length and tlie facade 42 feet. Its 
height from the pavement to the eves is 68 feet, while from the 
centre of the facade rises a tower of 92 feet in height. 

The structure is built of Leiperville granite with polished granite 
trimmings and columns from Maine. Externally and internally the 
edifice is artistically and handsomely finished, while the altar and 
furniture is elaborate and beautiful, making as a whole the most 
imposing building in the county. Sunday, November 5, 1882, the 
llhurch was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies by Right Rev. 
Bishop Shanahan, of Harrisburg. 



CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. 

In the spring of 1873, the parish of St. Michael's having become 
so densely populated and the congregation attending the old sanc- 
tuary had grown so large, it was deemed expedient to institute a new 
Catholic Church in South Ward, and a committee waited on Right 
Rev. Bishop Wood to that end. After several interviews with the 
committee the Bishop consented to the division and July 1873, he 
appointed Rev. John B. Kelley the pastor in charge of the parish, 
which was named the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Two days after 
his appointment Father Kelley was drowned while bathing at At- 
lantic City, and Rev. Thomas J. McGlynn was assigned to the pas- 
torate. The parishioners immediately erected a frame chapel and 
the congregation was organized therein. Prompt steps were taken 
toward the building of a permanent Church edifice, and the follow- 
ing fall, September 23, 1874, the corner stone of the brick Gothic 
Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, at the north-west cor- 
ner of Second and Norris streets, was laid by the Right Rev. Bishop 
Wood. The work went steadily onward, and the Church was dedi- 
cated the first Sunday of October, 1 876. The edifice is 64 feet on 
Second street, by 108 feet in depth on Norris street. The parson- 
age on the left of the sanctuary, and in the same order of archi- 
tecture, was erected in 1877. The parish is now building a three 



Churches at Chester. . 199 

story brick parochial school house which will conform in style ex- 
ternally to the Church edifice. Rev. Father McGlynn has been in 
charge of the parish ever since it was organized, and under his 
immediate supervision all the permanent improvements have been 
made. 



FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. 

The Kerlin farm was purchased in 1850 by John M. Broomall 
and the late John P. Crozer in equal shares, and after a large part 
of the real estate had been sold so as to repay the original outlay, 
Mr. Crozer, in 1856, conveyed his interest in all the land remain- 
ing to Mr. Broomall, reserving, however, the absolute title in the 
half square of ground on Penn and Second streets. Mr. Crozer 
stated at the time of the conveyance that he designed that locality 
as a site for a Baptist Church. This intention was doubtless due 
to the fact that previous to the autumn of 1854, occasional reli- 
gious exercises by Baptist clergymen had been held in Chester, but 
it was not until the fall of the year mentioned that any regularly 
stated services were had, when Rev. William Wilder, of the Up- 
land Baptist Church, established worship in the Court House, and 
it was continued under Mr. Wilder's supervision for four years. 
In the spring of 1858, Mr. Crozer donated the ground at the north- 
west corner of Second and Penn streets, seventy feet on the first 
and one hundred and twenty-seven on the latter, for a Church. 
During the summer of the same year Benjamin Glartside, at his 
personal cost, built a chapel 28 by 40 feet, which building, now stand- 
ing in the rear of the Church, was completed during the month of 
August, and worship was held there every Sunday afternoon. Rev. 
Miller Jones, then stationed at Marcus Hook, and Rev. William 
Vrilder, conducted the services. In the spring of 1863, an effort 
was made to erect a building and to have the congregation recog- 
nized as a Church, but the public excitement consequent on the bat- 
tle of Gettysburg postponed definite action until September 24, 
1863, when the chapel, built by Mr. Grartside, was dedicated as the 



200 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

First Baptist Church of Chester, and Rev. Levi Gr. Beck was, May 
24, 1864, ordained its first pastor. 

The same year a sufficient sum was pledged to the building fund 
to justify the building of a sanctuary. The corner stone was laid 
July 2, 1 864, and in the fall the edifice was so far advanced that 
the lecture room could be used for religious services. The work 
on the Church was continued, and in the fall of the following year 
all had been completed, but as it had been decided that the main 
apartment should not be used until the debt of the building com- 
mittee, amounting in all to $16,000, had been discharged, it re- 
quired several weeks to gather the fund. This was done, and De- 
cember 28, 1865, the Church was dedicated, Rev. J. Wheaton 
Smith, D. D., officiating on that occasion. After two years' pastor- 
ate. Rev. Mr. Beck was elected Secretary of the Baptist General 
Association of Pennsylvania, which office he accepted, and resigned 
his charge of the Church in April, 1866. For several months the 
congregation was without a regular minister, until November, 1866, 
when Rev. Andrew Fuller Shanafelt was called and assumed the 
duties of the pastorate in December of the same year. During his 
ministry, James Irving presented the lot on Second street, imme- 
diately adjoining the Church, for a parsonage, and Benjamin Grart- 
side erected the present building at his personal cost. In 1874, 
Mr. Shanafelt's health was so much impaired that he was granted a 
vacation to travel in Europe and the Holy Land. He returned in 
the fall apparently much improved, but his application to duty 
brought on a return of his physical weakness, causing his death 
March, 1875, The following July, Rev. Z. T. Dowen became the 
pastor and for two years remained in charge, when he resigned Au- 
gust, 1877, and returned to England. In November of the same 
year, Rev. A. Gr. Thomas, the present pastor, was called and began 
his ministerial work in the following December. 



? : 



Churches at Chester. 201 



MADISON STREET M. E. CHURCH. 

The name "Chester" appears in the minutes of the Philadel- 
phia Conference in the list of appointments of preachers as early 
as the year 1783, when Revs. Robert Cann and John Milburn were 
assigned to that circuit. They, in 1789, were succeeded by Revs. 
William Dougherty and James Campbell, and the latter, in turn, 
in 1790, were followed by Revs. Sylvester Hutchinson and John 
Cooper. Notwithstanding these appointments it is very doubtful 
whether, at those times, there were any Methodists in the ancient 
Borough of Chester, the name being given to a circuit extending 
in territory from the river Delaware nearly to the Susquehanna, 
and from Philadelphia county to the Maryland line. 

The first absolute knowledge we have of a meeting of that de- 
nomination is in 1818, when John Kelley and his wife, Esther, 
moved to this place. Mr. Kelley had been a local preacher in St. 
George's Church, Philadelphia, and shortly after locating in Chester 
held services in his own house, where he organized a class. The 
circuit preacher soon afterwards established a regular appointment 
for preaching, and on Sundays religious services were held in the 
Court House for many years. In that structure the noted Bishop 
Asbury, it is said, preached on several occasions. The denomina- 
tion grew gradually, and several attempts were made to raise funds 
sufficient to build a house to meet in, but all efforts failed to that 
end, until in 1830, sufficient means had been obtained to justify 
the congregation in erecting, not without considerable difficulty, a 
stone Church on Second street, at the corner of Bevan's Court, 
which building was greatly due to the energy and efforts of the late 
David Abbott, and was named in honor of the Bishop, " Asbury 
Chapel." The society was still largely dependent on the circuit 
minister, although more frequently the services were conducted en- 
tirely by the local preachers. The congregation attending the 
Church had grown so large in 1845 that Chester was made a station 
and Rev. Isaac R. Merrill was appointed pastor in that year. 

During his pastorate, in 1846, the congregation erected the sec- 



202 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

oncl stone meeting house, on Fifth street, below Market, which, m 
1 873 they sold to Tuscarora Tribe of Red Men, No. 29, who changed 
it into a hall. At the present time the old building has again been 
devoted to t'.ie purposes for which it was built, and is occupied by 
the congregation of the Grerman Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 

1847, Mr. Merrill was succeeded by Rev. Levi Storks,* who, in 

1848, was followed by Rev. John Shields. In 1849, Rev. Newton 
Heston* was appointed, and continued until 1851. In 1850, the 
year when Chester began to develop rapidly, the Church had 302 
members. Rev Samuel Gr. Hare* was appointed in 1851, and was 
followed the succeeding year by Rev John B. Maddux,* who con- 
tinued pastor until 1854, when Rev. Wm. Mullin was appointed in 
his stead, and in 1856 was followed by Rev. John W. Arthur.* 
Rev. Allen Johns'' was appointed pastor in 1858 and the following 
year was succeeded by Rev. John Ruth.* During the latter's pas^ 
torate, in 1860, the membership had grown to 322. Rev. William 
Urie' was assigned to the charge of the Church in 1861, and was 
succeeded in 1863, by Rev, James E. Meredith, who, after he ceased 
to be its pastor became a clergyman of the Episcopal Church and at 
the present time is located in Texas, as rector of a parish of that 
denomination. Mr. Meredith was followed in 1866 by Rev. Henry 
E, Gilroy, and in 1869, Rev. James Cunningham was appointed to 
succeed him. The old meeting house on Fifth street was now un- 
able to accommodate the number of worshippers, and it was deter- 
mined to erect a new edifice. To that end a lot on the north-east 
corner of Seventh and Madison streets was purchased, and the cor- 
ner stone of the new Church building laid on Wednesday, July 17, 
1872, Rev. Henry Brown, rector of St. Paul's, and Rev. A. W. 
SprouU, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, assisting Rev. 
James Cunningham in the ceremonial and religious services on that 
occasion. The new Church, which was built of green serpentine 
stone, with granite trimmings and corner blocks and finished very 
tastefully and at much expense, was dedicated May 3, 1874. Du- 
ring the greater part of the time the building of the edifice was 
going on Rev. John B. Maddux* was the minister, having succeed- 
ed Mr. Cunningham in the fall of 1872. In 1875, Rev. Jos. Welsh 
was appointed pastor, and was succeeded in 1878 by Rev. William 



■Deceased. 



Churches at Chester. 203 

C. Robinson. In 1881, Rev. William J. Paxson, the present p vs- 
tor, was appointed. The Church is in a most fl.nirishino coirlitioii, 
its membership in 1880 being 626, and it has I:iroely increased in 
that respect since that time. 



TRINITY M. E. CHURCH. 

In 1865, the membership and congregation of the Fifth Street 
Methodist Church had so increased that it was deemed proper by 
the Quarterly Conference to effect a Church organization in South 
Ward, and to that end thirty members held regular religious wor- 
ship in the Crozer Academy, on Second street, west of Franklin. 
In the summer of the same year, the congregation began the build- 
ing at the corner of Third and Parker streets, known as Trinity 
Church, Rev. Mr. Twiggs, now of Wilmington Conference, being 
then pastor in charge. The edifice had been roofed in, when, in 
October, 1 865, a terrific north-east storm utterly demolished the 
building, heaping it into the cellar a mass of ruins. There the 
debris remained until 1866, when the congregation, under the di- 
rection of Rev. Wm McCombs, as pastor, erected a frame chapel 
on the ground to the west, now used by D. H. Burns, as a marble 
yard, and the same year built what is now the Sunday School. 
The main structure during the same year was re-commenced and 
pushed forward until it was roofed in. The debt of the congrega- 
tion amounted to $20,000 In the fall of the year the chapel was 
completed and dedicated, on which occasion a sum of $5,000 was 
raised, and to that amount the debt was extinguished. In the 
spring of 1867, Rev. Isaac Mast was appointed, and continued in 
charge for two years, during which period $5,000 additional of the 
debt was paid off, the floors of the main Church laid, and the mem- 
bership largely increased. In 1869, Rev. George W. F. Graff be- 
came the pastor, and continued in that relationship three years. 
During his ministry the Church proper was completed and dedicat- 
ed by Bishop Simpson. It had cost $6,000 additional, but of that 
sum $5,000 was subscribed on dedication day. The congregation 



204 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

during that period built what is now known as the South Chester 
M. E. Church, then styled the mission chapel. Independent of the 
sums mentioned, the congregation raised $10,000, and applied it 
towards liquidating the indebtedness of the Church. In the spring 
of 1872, Rev. Samuel Pancoast was assigned to the pastorate, and 
during his term of three years the entire debt was discharged. In 
1875 Rev. Samuel W. Kurts was appointed and was followed in 
1878 by Rev. John F. Crouch, during w^hose pastorate many im- 
portant improvements were made to the Church. In 1880 Rev. 
Noble Frame was assigned to the Church, and in the spring of 1 882, 
Rev. Thomas Kelly, the present pastor, was appointed. 



UNION A. M. E. CHURCH. 

Early in this century Robert Morris, a slave in the lower part of 
Delaware, was told by his master, with whom he was a favorite, 
that his property was about to be levied on by the Sheriff, to make 
his escape to Chester, and, if possible, get some one to buy him. 
The latter fled and Charles Lloyd, of the Blue Bell Tavern, Kingses- 
sing, purchased him from his master for $300 conditioned that when 
he attained thirty years he was to be free. Morris, who was a re- 
ligious man, after he was free came to Chester, where he organized 
this Church. At first only four persons could be found to attend 
meetings, which were held in a house occupied by a man named 
Williams, on Third street, west of Concord avenue, but by degrees 
the movement spread until about 1831, when sufficient means were 
collected to purchase from Matthew L. Bevan, a lot on Welsh 
street, and to build a frame Church. The following year Rev. Sam- 
uel Smith was appointed local preacher and continued in charge un- 
til 1837. His pastorate, however, was financially unsuccessful in- 
asmuch as the expenses of the organization created a burdensome 
debt, so that Robert Morris once more came to Chester to its as- 
sistance and Rev. Benjamin Jefferson was assigned as its pastor, in 
which capacity he continued until 1 874. The latter strove energet- 
ically to liquidate the incumbrance and succeeded in clearing the 



Churches at Chester. 205 

Church of debt. He was followed in 1875 by Rev. Lorenzo D. 
Blackston, and the following year Eev. Henry Mode was appointed 
pastor. Again in 1877, Rev. Benjamin Jefferson was assigned to 
the charge of the Church and continued until 1880. It was during 
his second pastorate that the edifice was rebuilt as it is to-day, al- 
though many years before a stone building had taken the place of 
the original frame structure. From 1880 to 1881, Rev. Lewis J. 
Jones was in charge. In the latter year Rev. Francis H. Norton, 
the present pastor was appointed. 

Fifteen or twenty years ago a mission Church was organized in 
Media, under the supervision of Union Church and is now a flourish- 
ing body, while the membership of the parent Church has largely 
increased. 



ASBURY A. M. E. CHURCH, 

This religious body was organized by Rev. Stephen Smith, of 
Philadelphia, October 26, 1845. The same year the congregation 
purchased the Church property on Second street, east of Market, 
for $700, at which location they have continued to worship for 
nearly forty years. At first, as with all Methodist Churches in this 
city, the body was supplied at times by circuit preachers, but gene- 
rally the services were conducted by local clergymen. In 1849j 
Rev. Henry Davis was appointed the first regular pastor and was 
succeeded in 1850 by Rev. H. G. Young, who in turn was followed 
in 1853 by Rev. J. G. Bulah. In May, 1854, Rev. James Holland 
was assigned to the Church and was succeeded in 1 856 by Rev. 
Adam Driver, who was followed in 1858 by Rev. J. Gr. Bulah. In 
1860, Rev. J. Gr. Carrish was appointed, and in 1861, Rev. G. W. 
Johnson became pastor. The next year Rev. W. D. N. Schureraan 
was assigned to the Church, and in 1863, Rev. Jeremiah Young was 
appointed pastor, and during his ministry the Church wfis rebuilt. 
He was followed in 1869 by Rev. G. Boyer, and in 1871 Rev. G. T, 
Waters became pastor. He was followed in 1874 by Rev. L. C. 
Chambers, and in 1877, Rev. T. Gould succeeded him. In ISTQ, 



206 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Rev. J. S. Thompson was assigned to the Church and in 1881, the 
present pastor, Rev. C C. Felts, was appointed, and during his 
ministry the congregation purchased a parsonage on Madison street, 
above Sixth. The Church has also sent out its mission body in the 
William Murphy Church, on Engle street, below Second, in South 
Chester. That Church was named by Hon John M. Broomall, in 
commemoration of the active religious life work of Rev. William 
Murphy, of this city, and the organization is in a flourishing con- 
dition. Its pastors since it was instituted are as follows : Revs G. 
W. Warter, Jacob P Davis, Henderson Davis, John W. Davis and 
John W. Norris. 



FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The Presbyi,erian residents of Chester, previous to 1850, often 
attended divine services at Leiper's Church, in Ridley, but more 
frequently the Episcopal or Methodist Churches, both of which de- 
nominations had "a local habitation and a name" in the ancient 
Borough. In the fall of the year stated, the late Rev. James W. 
Dale, every Sunday afternoon, conducted divine services in the 
Court House, according to the Presbyterian formula, and continued 
to preach therein for more than a year. In 1851, I. E. Cochran, 
Sr., gave the lot, part of the land taken by him in partition of his 
father's, (John Cochran, the elder,) estate, at the south-east corner of 
Fourth and Welsh streets, on which to build a Presbyterian Church, 
and he, together with the late Joseph H. Hinkson, contributed 
largely of their means towards the erection of the present edifice. 
Rev. Mr. Dale, who had also labored indomitably in its behalf, dedi- 
cated the Church, and in 1853 organized a congregation with seven- 
teen communicants. Mrs. Henrietta Mifflin Clyde, who died 
September 28, 1874, aged eighty-two years, was the last survivor. 
Robert Benedict was ordained as the first ruling elder. In the 
sanctuary since it was renovated, enlarged and adorned about eight 
years ago, the handsome stained glass memorial windows then 
placed in the church, in most cases bear the names of persons who 



Churches at Chester. 207 

were among its original founders. After it was organized, for two 
years Rev. J. 0. Stedman supplied the pulpit every Sunday. He 
was followed by Rev. George Van Wyck until 1856, when Rev. 
Alexander W. Sproull was called and installed as the first regula. 
pastor there. In 1873, the present pastor, Rev. Philip H. IMowry 
was called, and installel December 11, of that year. 



CHESTER CITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The influx of population, west of the Thir 1 street bridge was par- 
ticularly noticeable after the establishment of Reaney's ship yard just 
previous to the breaking out of the Rebellion, and efforts were made 
by several gentlemen to organize a Sunday School for religious in- 
struction of the many children in that neighborhood. To that end a 
school was begun December 14, 1862, in the Academy building, 
now the Second street Grammar School, with John L. Entwisle, 
Superintendent; Joseph Hinkson, Assistant; and Abram R Perkins, 
Treasurer. The school thus founded grew speedily, and those in- 
strumental in its beginning soon determined to establish the Ches- 
ter City Presbyterian Church, to be located in the South Ward. 
The great difficulty was in obtaining a suitable building, which im- 
pediment was 'overcome by the gift of a lot at the southeast corner 
of Third and Ulrich streets, by Reaney, Son & Archbold, upon 
w hich Thomas Reaney, who was warmly interested in the undertak- 
ing, built the present edifice at his personal cost. The Church was 
begun in the summer of 1865 and completed the following year. 
The furnishing and upholstering of the sanctuary was principally 
done at the joint expense of Mr. Perkins and Mr. Reaney. While 
the congregation was worshipping in the lecture room, the Church 
proper being unfinished, an application was made to the Presbytery 
of Philadelphia for organization, and on February 15, 1866, the con- 
gregation elected John X. Miller and Peter G. Rambo, elders, who 
were thereupon ordained in those offi ces by a committee appointed 
by Presbytery. February 25, 1866, the congregation called Rev. 
Martin P. Jones as pastor at a salary of $1000, and the committee 



208 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

was empowered, at their discretion, to advance the sum to $1200 a 
year. He accepted the call and was ordained April 12, 1866. He 
remained in charge of the Church until January 1, 1869, he having 
tendered his resignation several months before. The Church was 
without a minister from that date until June 22 of the same year, 
when Rev. Augustus T. Dobson, who had been called the 25th of 
the previous March, at a salary of $1500, was installed. The sub- 
sequent failure of the firm of Reaney, Son & Archbold crippled the 
Church greatly, but the earnest efforts of the congregation, in con- 
junction with the pastor, relieved it from its em harassment. John 
Henry Askin contributed $500, and Abram R. Perkins, $150. 
The congregation notified the pastor that, under the circumstances, 
his salary must be reduced to $1000 a year, and at that sum it con- 
tinued until he resigned in October, 1881 . Rev. Thomas J. Aikin, 
the present pastor, was called December 6, 1881, and installed 
April 12, 1882. 



:; THIRD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

This memorial church — it was built to commemorate the reunion of 
the old and new school Churches — is located at the southwest cor- 
ner of Twelfth and Upland streets. The lot was purchased .in 1871, 
and the building was erected as a Mission Sunday School by the 
First Presbyterian Church, but when the division in that congrega- 
tion took place, those who withdrew accepted the Sunday School 
building in unfinished condition, determining to constitute therein 
a Third Presbyterian Church, which was fully consummated October 
16, 1872, with forty-two persons enrolled as members. The con- 
gregation, after it was organized worshiped in the chapel until July 
of the following year, when the western end of the building was re- 
moved and twenty-five additional feet added to its length. The lot 
and building had cost nearly $15,000. After the organization of 
the Church, Rev. Dr. Edwin W. Bower, of Lincoln University, offi- 
ciated as temporary minister until February 13, 1873, when Rev. 
Charles F. Thomas was unanimously elected to the pastorate. He 



Churehes at "Chester^ 



was Installed April 16, 1873, at a salary of $1600, which was sub- 
■sequently increased by the congregation to $1800, but his health 
failing he resigned February 20, 1878, Rev. Dr. Bower was called 
April 3, 1878, but he declined and the congregation, May 31th, of 
the same year, called Eev. Thomas McCaidey, the present pastor, 
at the same salary received by Mr. Thomas. Mr. McCauley accept- 
ed October 1^ and was installed Ihe 10th of -the same month. 



21 () Historical Sketch (yf Chester. 



MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 



|REVI()US to the Revolution the Associators, a body of troops 
wasriisecl in Chester county, in 1748, to resist the depredations 
of French and Spanish privateers, w^hich seems to have preserved its 
organization until the War of Independence, but it is hardly poss- 
ible at this late day to designate accurately the men from Chester 
who were members of the several companies. During the Whisky 
Insurrection, a troop of horsemen from Chester, commanded by 
William G-r ih im, joined the forces under Governor Lee, of Virginiay 
who was ordered by Washington to suppress that outbreak. In the 
war of 1812, the Delaware County Fencibles, commanded by Cap- 
tain James Serrill, and the Mifflin Gruards, Captain Samuel Ander- 
son, volunteered for the war, but being sent, with other troops, in- 
to cantonment at Camp Dupont, to defend the Delaware from Ad- 
miral Cockburn and General Ross' threatened attack in the summer 
of 1814, they did not take active part in any engagement. The 
Delaware County Troop was organized during that war with Dr. 
Joseph Wilson, Captain, which continued under Captain Pearson 
Smith, Captain John Hinkson, and subsequently Captain Samuel 
M. Leiper, until 1836, when it was disbanded. The Delaware 
County Blues was raised during the war of 1812, and was encamp- 
ed at Marcus Hook under the command of Captain George Haw- 
kins, and afterwards by Captain George Litzenberg. It preserved 
its organization until 1836, when it was disbanded. The Penn- 
sylvania Artillerists was organized about 1819 or 1820. Its first 
Captain was John James Richards, whose widow — an Anderson — 
died recently in the old family mansion on Fifth street. He held 
the office until his death, in 1822, when he was succeeded in com- 



Military Organizations. 211 

mand by Joseph Weaver, Jr., then William Martin, Samuel 
A. Price, and finally John K. Zeilin. It was disbanded just 
previous to the Mexican War, in 1844 or '45. A Rifle Company 
was organized about 1822, with Henry Myers, Captain, and con- 
tinued until 1827, when it disbanderl. Fidui its fragments a new 
company — The Harmony Rangers — was formed. Captain Jesse L. 
•Green, commanding, who was succeeded by Captain Simon Leany. 
It was disbanded in 1842. In the late ('ivil War the record of the 
city of Chester and county of Delaware is most honorable. Of 
the troops that responded to the call of the Government I append 
the following resume: — April 29, 1861, the Union Blues, com- 
manded by Captain Henry B. Edwards, were mustered into the 
9th Pennsylvania. Company K, of the 26th Pennsylvania, was re- 
cruited in this county and commanded by Captain William L. 
Grubb. The Delaware County Fusileers, Captain Simon Litzen- 
berg, became Company B, of the 124th Pennsylvania. Company 
E, 119th Regiment, was recruited and commanded by Captain Wil- 
liam C. Gray. 

The "Archy Dick Guards," Captain Wm. Cooper Talley, became 
Company F, 13th Pennsylvania Regiment, while Gideon's Band, 
Captain Norris L. Yarnall, became Company D, and the Delaware 
County Volunteers, Captain James Barton, Jr., became Company 
H, of the same Regiment. The Slifer Phalanx, Captain Samuel 
A. Dyer, became Company F, of the 1st Pennsylvania Reserves or 
13th of the line. In July, 1861, Captain W. L. Laws recruited a 
cavalry company which was mustered into service as Company I, 
€Oth Regiment, 3d Pennsylvania Cavalry, William K. Grant being 
substituted as Captain. Besides these organizations there were 
emergency companies that responded previous to the battles of An- 
tietara and Gettysburg, "Chester Guards," Company K, 10th 
Pennsylvania Militia, Captain William R. Thatcher; Company B, 
16th Regiment, "The Mechanic Rifles of Chester," Captain Jona- 
than Kershaw; "Delaware County Guard," Company D, 16th Penn- 
sylvania Militia, Captain John H. Barton; Company P, 16th Penn- 
sylvania Militia, Captain Joseph Wilcox; "Darby Rangers," Com- 
pany H, 16th Pennsylvania Militia, Captain John C. Andrews; 
Company A, 37th Pennsylvania Militia, Captain William Frick; 
Company A, 197th Pennsylvania Volunteers, or hundred-days' men, 



212' Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Captain James Barton, Jr ; "Upland Volunteers," Captain George 
K. Crozer; Company C, Captain John M. Broomall; Company G^. 
Captain Alfred Buntings Company H, Captain J. C. Andrews;. 
Company I, Captain C. D. M. Broomhall, were all part of the 29tb 
Emergency Volunteer Regiment, and Company A, Captain William 
Frick; Company F, Captain Henry Huddleson, composed those 
numbers in the 37th Regiment of ninety-days' militia, and were 
all recruited in Delaware (-ounty, and the major part of them 
in the City of Chester. Among the officers from this county who 
attained the command of regiments by promotion, were Brevet 
Brigadier General William Cooper Talley, Brevet Brigadier Gen- 
eral Charles L. Leiper, Colonel Samuel A. Dyer, Lieutenant Colonel 
William C. Gray, and Lieutenant Colonel Simon Litzenberg. 

Jan. 29, 1867, Post Wilde, No. 25, Grand ^rmy of the,RepubliCy 
composed of honorably discharged soldiers, of the United States 
Army, was organized at Chester, and among its members are persons 
who are entitled to wear the stars of a Brigadier General and the 
gold and silver eagles of Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel, with many 
others who attained lesser grades in the military services of the 
country. 

The Chester City Safeguards was the name of a colored company 
of militia, organized in 1870, and commanded in succession by An- 
drew Johnson, Isaac B. Colwell, and Isaac Emory, until the com- 
pany, in the fall of 1872, was disbanded. 

September 12. 1872, Company A of the Gartside Rifle Battalion 
was organized with Captain Daniel Brown commanding. Captain 
Brown subsequently was appointed Major, and George F. Springer 
was elected Captain of Company A in his stead. Company B or- 
ganized March 19, 1873, Captain David S. Gwynn commanding, 
but he resigned, and the company elected William A. Todd as Cap- 
tain. The organization finally disbanded. In July, 1875, the Mor- 
ton Rifles, so called in honor of John Morton, the Signer of the 
Declaration of Independence, was organized with James Barton, 
Jr., as Captain, and in August, 1875, was mustered into the 11th 
Regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania. Captain Barton 
was subsequently promoted aid to General Dobson, and Charles A, 
Story, Jr., was elected to the captaincy. Subsequently Captain 
Story resigned and John M. Householder was chosen to succeed 



Miliiary Organizations. 213 

him. During the riots of July, 1877, the company was ordered to 
Pittsburg, where it did good service, but was the next year mus- 
tered out. The llartranft Rifles were organized January, 1876, by 
Captain Perry M. Washabaugh, and April 20, 1876, were mustered 
into service as Company B. 11th Regiment, and subsequently, af- 
ter the appointment of Captain Washabaugh to the staff of the 
Brigadier General commanding the division, he was succeeded by 
Robert H. Wood, and followed by William H Williams. This 
company was also called into active duty during the Pittsburg riots, 
and was finally mustered out of service. 

Company A, llth Regiment, National Guards of Pennsylvania, 
was mustered into service March .30, 1881, with B, F. Morley, Cap- 
tain; Frank G. Sweeney, First 1 ieutenant; and John J. Hare, Se- 
cond Lieutenant. The company soon showed such efficiency in 
drJll, that when the State authorities consolidated the military 
force of the Commonwealth, that, although the youngest company 
in the State, by general order No. 11, July 8, 1881, the title of the 
company was changed to B, 6th Regiment, First Brigade, National 
Guards of Pennsylvania. In the summer of the same year a scheme 
was broached by Lieutenant Colonel Washabaugh towards erecting 
an armory, and to that end a charter was obtained, stock was taken 
by several prominent citizen, a lot, 60 feet in front by 120 feet in 
depth, was purchased, and an armory, after a design by P. A, 
Welsh, was built. The structure begun August 4, 1881, cost- 
ing, including land, about $15,000, is too recent to require fuller 
description here. Sufficient it is to say that the home of one of 
the best, if not the best drilled company in the service of the State, 
is an ornament and credit to our city. The building, located on 
the south side of Fifth street, east of Crosby street, was opened 
on Tuesday, December 7, 1881, with a fair which lasted ten days 
and yielded several thousand dollars towards the liquidation of the 
debt of the armory company. 

The roll of Company B at the present time is as follows: 

Captain, Frank G. Sweeney; First Lieutenant, Edward D. Sparks; 
Second Lieutenant, James A. Campbell. 

Sergeants — First, William C. Gray; Second, George C. de Lan- 
noy; Third, J. Engle Baker; Fourth, T. Edward Clyde; Fifth, J. 
Frank Fairlamb. 



214 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Corporals — First, Horace F. Larkin; Second, D. Edwin Irving; 
Third, John A. Ladomus; Fourth, Harwell A. Cloud; Fifth, James 
Alexander Cochran; Sixth, William J Morgan; Seventh, Charles 
B. floss; Eighth, S. Ulrich Ward. 

Privates — Milton M. Allen, James H. Birtwell, Theodore Blake- 
ley, W. Irving Babcock, Frank L. Brown, Alfred E. Hinkson, 
Lewis L. Hinkson, Carleton Y. James, Samuel A. Price, W. N. 
Sparks, Harry E. Wilson, David M. Unangst, S. Warren Barnes, 
William S. Broughton, Charles B. Carling, William H. Derbyshire, 
William J. Dickson, George C. Johnson, Henry T. Johnson, Ed- 
ward B. Kirkman, Matthew F. Ross, Anson Rawnsley, Garrett G. 
Slawter, George C. Worrall, John M. B. Ward, Dean J. Deakyne, 
Frank B. Eddy, Ulysses S. Grant, Emil 0. Haas, George B. Min- 
nick, Robinson McCurdy, Henry S. Mcllvain, William H. Schure- 
man, George B. Smedley, Horace F. Temple, Robert P. Wilson, 
William H. Lodge, Edward A. Price, Arthur G. Rose. 



Newspapers of Chester. 215 



NOTES RESPECTING NEWSPAPERS OF 
CHESTER. 



PERHAPS there is not a town of like population in this Com° 
nionwealth which can show as many newspapers born and died 
therein, as will be found in the annals of Chester. The earliest 
publication was the Post Boy. It was a weekly folio, 154 by 94 
inch's in size, and an inspection of its columns show how little atten-* 
tion was at that time given to passing events in the immediate neigh- 
borhood. It was published by Butler & Worthington, November 
19, 1817, and so continued until the latter part of the year 1824, 
when Butler sold his interest to Eliphalet B. Worthington, who 
continued its issue until 1826, when he transferred it to Joseph M. 
C. Lescure, who, after his purchase, changed the title to the Up- 
land Union, and increased the size of the paper. Mr. Lescure con- 
tinued its publication under the last name until 1838, with indif- 
ferent success, when he sold it to Joseph Williams and Charles T. 
(<oates. The newspaper enterprise, however, proving unremunera- 
tive, its proprietor sold it to Alexander Nesbit, and he in turn dis- 
posed of it to Alexander MacKeever, who continued its publication 
until 1852, when he discontinued it. His son, Samuel A. Mac- 
Keever, was atterwards connected with the press of the city of 
New York, and in 1874 published, in connection with James B. 
Mix, "The New York Tombs," a highly colored, and in several in- 
stances inaccurate, story of that celebrated prison and the noted 
criminals who had been confined therein. 

During the exciting Presidential campaign of 1828, when so 
many aspirants were struggling for the executive honors, William 



216 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Kussell began the publication of The Weekly Visitor, and Strange 
N. Palmer was em^jloyed to edit it in the interest of the opponents 
of the Democratic party, to which political organization the Upland 
Union gave earnest support The owner and editor of the new organ 
disagreed in their vievvs, which difficulty terminated by a sale of the 
establishment to thirty gentlemen, warm advocates of John Quincy 
Adams, Palmer being still retained to edit the paper. The fact 
being noised abroad, the Upland Union dubbed its opponent ''The 
Son of Many Fathers," and predicted its early demise. In that 
prognostication it was right, for at the close of the campaign it was 
sold to Thomas Eastman, who continued it, and it languished until 
1832, when it died. The printing office was purchased by Young 
Singleton Walter in the following year, who removed the material 
to Darby, where, on August 31, 1833, he issued the first number 
of 

THE DELAWARE COUNTY REPUBLICAN. 

Under Harrison's administration Mr. Walter was appointed Cus- 
tom House officer at Marcus Hook, and continued in that position 
under Tyler until the latter's course became so obnoxious to the 
Whigs that Mr. Walter resigned. In November, 1841, he remov- 
ed his printing office to Chester, where he continued the publica- 
tion of the Republican until his death. May 22, 1882. During the 
fifty years he was its editor it grew in size until it became almost 
four times as large as when first issued. Mr. Walter was Post- 
master under Lincoln's first administration, member of the As- 
sembly for two terms, from 1877 to 1879, and was a member of 
Council, both Borough and city, and during the years 1874 and 
1875 was President of the latter body. September 1, 1882, The 
Delaware County Republican was sold to Ward R. Bliss, under 
whose management the oldest paper in the county gives signs of 
increased enterprise and enlarged activity. 



DELAWARE COUNTY DEMOCRAT. 

In 1835, Caleb Pierce established a weekly newspaper under the 
above title in advocacy of Mr. Muhlenberg's candidacy as G-overnor, 



Newspapers of Chester. 217 

but it was short lived. In October, 1856, John G. Michelon began 
the publication of a weekly called the Upland Union and Delaware 
County Democroi, and its life was also but a span. October 5, 
1867, the Delaware County Democrat was established by D. B. 
Overholt, whose interest was shortly afterwards purchased by Dr. 
J. L. Forwood, who continued the publication of the paper until 
the fall of 1871 , when he sold it to Colonel William Cooper Talley. 
Early in 1876 John B McCay purchased it, but shortly afterwards 
sold it to William Orr, who at the time was publishing the Demo- 
cratic Pilot, a paper which had been started in 1872, and had died 
and been resurrected several times The papers were merged into 
one, and were sold by the Sheriff, on an execution against Orr, to 
Dr. Forwood, in 1878, who in turn sold it to William A. Gwynne. 
The latter, in August, 1879, disposed of his interest to Henry Fry- 
singer, vvho issued the first paper under his editorial change, Sep- 
tember 4, 1879. At the time Mr. Frysinger purchased the Demo- 
crat it had less than 250 hona fide subscribers and only a nominal 
advertising patronage. It was purchased for the estimated value 
of the printing materials belonging to the office, the good will be- 
ing considered valueless. The energy, enterprise and talent wdiich 
Mr. Frysinger devoted to his paper has made it a remunerative and 
valuable property, and its circulation has very largely increased. 
Being the only Democratic newspaper in the county, the field for 
extending its circulation is yet both broad and inviting. 



DELAWARE COUNTY ADVOCATE. 

John Spencer and Dr. William Taylor, on October 27, 1866, 
issued The Chester Advertiser^, a weekly advertising publication, 
which was continued for more than a year, when it was suspended. 
John Spencer subsequently, July 16, 1868, began the publi- 
cation of The Chester Advocate, at first a gratuitous sheet, the ad- 
vertisements it contained paying for its circulation. The paper 
was so well conducted and its reading matter so well selected, that 
it soon made a permanent lodgment in public regard, and from time 
to time it was enlarged, a subscription of fifty cents and after- 
wards a dollar a year being charged, until it is now a folio sheet, 



:218 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

31 by 45 inches in size. It has won its way to popularity by its 
intrinsic merit, and has become one of the best weekly newspaper 
properties in the neighborhood of Philadelphia. 



CHESTER EVENING NEWS. 

Saturday, June I, 1872, the first number of the Evening News 
was issued by F. Stanhope Hill, as editor and proprietor. It was 
a folio sheet, 18 by 25. The title of the paper was changed June 
17th, of the same year, to Chester Evening News. The first month 
of its publication the venture was regarded by the inhabitants of the 
city in no kindly spirit, and many were the prognostications of ul- 
timate failure, but by degrees it won its way in public favor. Mr. 
Hill, however, October 1, 1872, sold his interest to William A. 
Todd and the latter continued its publication until his death, Au- 
gust 18, 1879, when it was purchased by William H. Bowen, Oliver 
Troth and Charles D. Williamson. During Mr. Todd's ownership 
the circulation had so increased that he was compelled to twice en- 
large the presses to meet the growing popular demand. The new 
owners assumed the conduct of the paper September 29th, of the 
same year, and immediately after enlarged it by an addition of two 
inches to the columns. Mr. Williamson did not take an active part 
in editing the paper until nearly a year subsequent to its purchase? 
and in less than twelve months after he began work in the office as 
city editor, he died, and his interest was purchased by the surviv- 
ing partners. November 4, 1880, the ^ews was again enlarged by 
an addition of another column to each page, and to meet the steadi- 
ly increasing circulation its proprietors have twice been compelled 
to add new presses of enlarged capacity and speed. 



CHESTER DAILY TIMES. 



Major John Hodgson, who had established the Jeffersonian in 
West Chester, having sold that paper to the present proprietor, came 
to Chester in the Summer of 1876, and in September of that year 
issued the first number of the Chester Daily Tinies — the second 



I 

Newspafprff of Ch.pster. 219 

daily afternoon paper published in Chester. Mr Hodgson con- 
tinued as its editor until his failiu.o health compelled him'^to sell it 
and March 7, 1877, J. Craig, Jr., who had been on the editorial 
staff since its first issue, purchased the paper. He managed it 
quite successfully, displaying considerable ability and ente^rise 
in its conduct. On October 20th, of the same year, Mr. Craig sold 
the Times to John Spencer, the proprietor of The Delaware County 
Advocate. The new owner enlarged the paper from five to six col- 
umns and otherwise improved it. He continued its publication un- 
til April 15, 1882, when he sold it to "The Times Publishing Com- 
pany," its present owner. The latter had purchased The Delaware 
County Gazette, which under the title of The Delaware County Pa- 
per, had been established, in 1876, by Col. William C. Gray, and 
subsequently passed into the ownership of John McFeeters; 'then 
Major D. R. B. Nevin, who changed its name to the Gazette, and 
finally of A. Donath. The Times, under its new proprietors, has 
increased its circulation largely, is enterprising and fearless in 
the expression of its views and opinions on topics of public interest. 



THE WEEKLY REPORTER 

is an octavo publication, advertising legal notices, and reporting 
in full the opinions of the Courts of Delaware County, and was es- 
tablished March 31, 1881, by Ward R. Bliss, Esq. Mr. Bliss has 
continued The Weekly Reporter with marked ability and the paaes 
of the work, when bound, will be an essential addition to the library 
of every lawyer in the county, and useful as well in that of every 
attorney in the State. 



THE CHESTER BUSINESS MIRROR. 

In 1882, The Chester Business Mirror, a monthly advertising pa 
per, was published by Edward Frysinger, and is now well es- 
tablished. 



220 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

In 1843, Edward E. Flavill and Mr. Jackson published The 
Chariot, an advocate of the cause of temperance, but it was short- 
ly after discontinued. 

Semi occasionally, in 1848, a small folio, The Owl, was issued 
in Chester and circulated at night It was very personal in its 
articles, and although many of its jibes and hits are pointless now, 
at the time of its publication it caused much excitement in the 
ancient Borough. 

In May, 1850, S. E. Cohen began the publication of the CHEb- 
TER Herald, issuing it monthly, subsequently changing it to a 
weekly sheet, and finally discontinued it. 

In 1857, The Evening Star, a literary paper, made its appear- 
ance under the auspices of the Washington Literary Society, but 
as with many similar publications, interest in it abated and it was 
abandoned. 

In 1869, H. Y. Arnold and Wilmer W.James began the publica- 
tion of a weekly advertising sheet, The Independent. Mr. 
Arnold soon after withdrew and it was continued by Messrs. James 
& Shields until 1874, when it was discontinued. 

The Delaware County Mail was established November 27, 
1872, by Joseph T. DeSiiver & Co. November 27, 1876, it was 
sold to the proprietors of the Delaware County Paper, and merged 
into the latter publication. 

The Public Press was issued May 3, 1876, by Thomas Higgins 
and Robert Simpson^ but its publication was suspended during the 
same year. 



Educational Institutions, :221 



EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, 



1 



TNE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF CHESTER. 

T Is impossible in our space to give any extended notice of the 
Public Schools of Chester. The first movement in the direc- 



tion of free public institutions we notice about the middle of the y i/yi,<2Z^i'iC 
last Century, when a lot on the east side of Edgmont Avenue, south 
of Fourth street, was conveyed to certain persons to erect thereon 
a free school for Friends' children, which was never done. In 
1769, Joseph Hoskins gave a lot of ground, at the southeast corner 
of Fifth and Welsh streets, for a free school, aud contributed large- 
ly of his means, in 1770, toward the building itself. This was the 
starting point of our present system of free public instruction, and 
it was a most praiseworthy act in the present Board of School Di- 
rectors of this city that in the year 1882, when putting up a new 
building, at Fifth and Welsh streets, for the use of the Superinten- 
dent, with school-rooms on the second floor, they recognized the 
noble act of Joseph Hoskins, who, almost forgotten, had slumbered 
for more than a century in Friends' Graveyard, by designating the 
new structure, " Joseph Hoskins School." 

The registration of scholars in the Public Schools of Chester, at 
the date of this publication, is 2,239, and the number of school 
houses are as follows. North Ward — Eleventh and Madison streets, 
1; Morton Avenue, 2. Middle Ward — Fifth and Welsh streets, 3. 
South Ward — Second street, 1; Franklin street, 1; Patterson street, / 

1; Howell street, 1. Total, 10. The corps of teachers are ex- 
cellent, the examination of applicants for position as instructors is 
yery thorough, and the general average of education imparted to 



222 Historical Sketch of Ohester. 

the pupil will compare favorably with that of any city in the cotm^ 
try. The cracluates of the Chester High School are as carefully- 
taught as in most Academies in the land — the Universities excepted — 
and the system of opening the higher branches of education to both 
the sexes has resulted most advantageously. The present faculty 
of the High School is: — Principal, Emma J. Hahn; Assistant 
Jennie .McLaren and Frederica E. Gladwin. The whole system 
and working of the Public Schools of our city is under the intelli- 
gent care and supervision of Prof. Charles F. Foster, who is advo- 
cating constantly needed improvements to enlarge the usefulness of 
our public schools, thus yearly adding to the opportunities of the 
rising generation to become scholarly at little or no personal ex- 
pense to themselves or families. 



THE PENNSYLVANIA MtLITARY ACADEMY. 

By Act of Assembly, April 8, 1862, the Pennsylvania Military 
Academy was incorporated as a university under the title "Chester 
I'ounty Military Academy," and was located at West Chester, with 
Col Theodore Hyatt, as its President, where it soon became noted 
as an institution of learning. Founded during the Rebellion it 
made a special feature of military instruction, and to the forces of 
the United States, in the Civil Wax*, it contributed many officers 
from its roll of students. When Lee's army invaded the State, the 
battery of the Academy, manned by cadets of the institution and 
citizens of West Chestei- was in service for two months and was- 
commended by the authorities After the close of the war, the 
Crozer Normal School, which had been used by the government as 
a hospital, was vacated by the United States, and as the accommo- 
dations were superior to those of the building occupied by the in- 
stitution at Westchester, Col Hyatt leased the premises and moved 
here in December, 1865. The Pennsylvania .Military Academy at its 
new location grew rapidly in public favor and so largely did the num- 
ber of students become that it was necessary to erect a building 
especially calculated for the accommodation of the cadets. In 1867 



Educational Li^fitidions. 223 

tlie Institution conferred its first degrees on its graduates, and in 
September, 1868, the building having been completed in the mean- 
while, the Academy occupied its new quarters, to the northeast of 
the city, a land mark, presenting a prominent appearance when 
viewed from the north or east in approaching Chester, and especial- 
ly from the Delaware river. In its new building the Academy, in 
September, 1868, accommodated 150 cadets and officers. 

On the afternoon of February 16, 1882, the main edifice was 
entirely destroyed by fire, the origin of which is unknown, 
although the flames were first discovered in the laboratory, then 
located in the upper story. All attempts to arrest the conflagra- 
tion proved fruitless, but amid the utmost excitement of the popu- 
lace the military discipline of the cadets showed conspicuously. 
As soon as it was recognized that every effort to subdue the flames 
was useless, the latter promptly and without confusion, rendered 
most efficient aid in removing personal property from the burnini; 
building, and after it was taken out, guarded it in a heavy rain fall, 
until the police authorities relieved them from that duty. The 
good services of the cadets, on that occasion, kept the way clear 
for the firemen, to whom no praise is too flattering, and permitted 
them to do, as they did, most efficient work. After the destruc- 
tion of the Academy, in twenty days subsequently the term was re- 
sumed temporarily at Ridley Park. The stockholders, as soon as 
the losses were adjusted by the Insurance Companies, began the erec- 
tion of a new building. The main structure is 270 feet long, 50 
feet in depth, four stories in height, surmounted with a dome which 
towers many feet above all, presenting a view therefrom unequalled 
in the county. The building, which was completed ready for oc- 
cupancy, September 13, 1882, is divided by fire walls, and is be- 
iieved to be as nearly fireproof as it is possible to render it, while 
in a sanitary point, as well as in respect to the accommodation to 
secure the comfort and convenience of its inmates, the new Acade- 
my structure is most admirably planned. A laboratory, at some 
distance from the main edifice, is an ornate and well arranged build- 
ing, sufficiently removed to render it improbable that any fire which 
might occur therein could seriously endanger the Military Acade- 
my proper. The present Academic staff" is composed as follows: 

Col. Theodore Hyatt, President and Professor of Greek; Capt. 



224 Historiral Sketch of Chester. 

Charles E. Hyatt, Vice President, Professor of Rhetoric and Elo- 
cution; Capt. R. Kelso Carter, Professor of Mathematics and Civil 
Engineering; Lieut. William P. Duvail, U. S. A., Professor of 
Military Science and Mathematics; Lieut. Emile L. Feffer, Pro- 
fessor of French, German, Spanish, Latin and Greek; Capt. Ben- 
jamin F. Morely, Professor of Chemistry, Physics and Tactics; Ed- 
mund Morris Kyde, Professor of Latin, Greek and English Litera- 
ture; John R. Sweney, Professor of Music; C. S. Fahnestock, Pro- 
fessor of Penmanship, Drawing and English Branches; William B. 
Ulrich, M. D., Lecturer on Hygienics; Frederick E Powell, Pro- 
fessor of Mathematics and English Branches; Edgar P. Hersheyj, 
Instructor of English Branches, 



CHESTER ACADEMY. 

This institution of learning, located at the southwest corner of 
Broad and Potter streets, was founded, in 1H62, by Charles W. 
Deans, who had just previous to that date been Superintendent of 
the Public Schools of Delaware county. It was then known as the 
Chester Academy and Normal School. In 1865, Professor George 
Gilbert, then of Philadelphia, purchased Mr. Deans' interest in the 
Academy, including the school furniture, and at once reorganized 
the institution, enlarged the accommodations, thoroughly revised 
and advanced the course of study, and employed additional teachers. 
The reputation of the Academy steadily advanced, and in 1871, six 
years after he became Principal of the institution. Prof. Gilbert 
purchased both the school building and the residence to the east. 
The aim of the school is to afford facilities for students preparing 
for college, teaching or for general business, to acquire practical 
education and to direct them in the course of study necessary to 
successfully qualify them for the occupations in life which they may 
select. The present faculty of the Academy comprises George 
Gilbert, Principal, Instructor in Latin, Greek and the Higher 
Mathematics; M. Louisa Clancy, Music, French and Literature; 
Mrs. T. M. Gilbert, Writing, Drawing and History; S. Alice Lees, 



Educational Institutions. 225 

PriiDary Department; Addie H. Pyle and Sallie E. Beale, English 
Branches. The pupilage is about one hundred. 



CROZER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 

Just beyond the incorporated limits of the city of Chester, to 
the northwest, is located the institution of learning which was es- 
tablished by the Crozer family, of Upland, in 1 868, as a memorial of 
their father the late John P. Crozer. In 1 857, Mr. Crozer had begun 
the erection of the present main building, at a cost of $45,000, 
with the intention of locating there a normal school, and in Sep- 
tember of the following year it was formally opened as an academy 
of the higher grades of intellectual training, and as such was con- 
tinued for several years. 

The war storm having burst with fury on the country, early in 
June, 1862, Mr. Oozer tendered, without charge, to the United 
States, the building as a hospital, conditioned only that it should 
be returned to him after it was no longer required, in as good con- 
dition as when he placed it at the disposal of the government. The 
offer was accepted, the necessary changes in the building made, 
and on June 18, 1862, Dr. George K, Wood, formerly an Assistant 
Surgeon in the Regular Army, was appointed Surgeon-in-Charge 
of the hospital. As soon as it was ascertained that a hospital would 
be established there, on the date last mentioned, a number of ladies 
organized a society known as "The Soldiers' Relief Association," 
of which Mrs. Samuel A. Crozer was First Directress;" Mrs. Abby 
Kerlin, Assistant Directress^ Mrs. Samuel Arthur, Secretary; Mrs. 
J. Lewis Crozer, Assistant Secretary; Mrs. John P. Crozer, Treasu- 
rer, with a Directress in every township in the county. For some 
time the sick, disabled and dying soldiers in this hospital were sup- 
plied with all the delicacies and luxuries so necessary to tempt the 
appetite and assuage the anguish of the inmates of that house of 
bodily suffering. One patient was admitted July 17, 1862, and on 
the 29th of the same month the steamer "State of Maine" arrived 
here with two hundred and twenty-three sick and wounded Union 



.226 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

soldiers on board, who had been captured in the Seven Days' Fight 
before llichmond, and had just been exchanged. The building con- 
tained nearly a thousand beds, but so great was the demand made 
upon the hospital that thirteen hundred persons, including patients, 
surgeons, attendants and guards, were gathered within its walls. 
Until the 14th of July, 1863, the hospital was used almost exclusi- 
vely for wounded Union soldiers, but after the Battle of Gettys- 
burg, the Confederate wounded, left on the field by Gen. Lee, in 
his retreat, were so many that the Government was compelled to 
designate a certain hospital for the reception of the Rebels, and 
the one at Chester was selected for that purpose. 

In July, 1862, Kev. John Pinckney Hammond, a brother of Sur- 
geon General Hammond, and at the time rector of St. Paul's 
Church, Chester, was appointed Chaplain of the hospital. A most 
unfortunate selection which was accepted with disapprobation by 
almost all the then residents of Chester, where he was extremely 
unpopular with his parishoners and the public generally, and ulti- 
mately, caused much difficulty in the working of the auxiliary bodies 
connected with the hospital. In addition to this, July 14, 1862, 
Dr. J. L. Le Conte, the noted entomogloist, was appointed to suc- 
ceed Dr. Wood, and if any thing, a more disastrous selection than 
Mr. Hammond's, but combined with the latter, was prodigal of evil 
The most absurd rules were adopted and enforced respecting vis- 
itations to the Hospital, which largely obstructed the unselfish and 
earnest work of the ladies of "The Soldiers Relief Association," 
while returning nothing in exchange for the hindrance offered. 
Petitions for the removal of these obnoxious officers were presented 
to the appointing power, and at last they were removed in the fall 
of 1862, but not until Hon. John M. Broomall, the then member of 
Congress, had repetedly demanded such action. Dr. Eben Smith 
succeeded Dr. Le Conte. 

After the Hospital was set apart for the reception of Confede- 
rate wounded, a picket fence, twelve feet in height was built sur- 
rounding the grounds, and guards were stationed to prevent the 
escape of convalesent prisoners of war. Notwithstanding the vigi- 
lance of the authorities, one dark stormy night in August, 1863, 
Captain Edward Shay, of the 16th Mississippi Regiment, and Lieu- 
tenant Davis, of Gen. Trimble's Staff, evaded the guard and escaped. 



Educational Institutions. 227 

The Hospital furnished accommodation for more than six thousand 
wounded soldiers, and many men to-day, North and South, remem- 
ber with grateful hearts the kindness they received while inmates 
of the Hospital at Chester. While located here Dr. Elwood Harvey 
was Assistant Surgeon from July, 1 862, to September of the same 
year; Dr. F. Ridgely Graham from October, 1862, to June, 1863, 
and Dr J. L. Forwood from July 21, 1863. Dr. Charles J. Morton 
was also Assistant Surgeon. 

At the conclusion of the war, in 1865, the building was returned 
to its owner, and in December of the same year, Col. Theodore Hyatt 
leased the property until the summer vacation of 1868. John P. 
Crozer, having died March 11, 1866, as soon as the Pennsylvania 
Military Academy had vacated the building, the Crozer family, as 
a memorial of their father, as before stated, determined to set it 
apart as a Theological Seminary, (Baptist.) 

The Seminary has, beside the land and buildings, an Endowment 
Fund of $250,000, so judiciously invested that the interest there- 
from meets fully the ordinary expenses of the Institution. There 
is also a lecture fund of $10,000, the interest of which is applied 
to defrayinj^ the cost of lectures on subjects not directly appertain- 
ing to the educational course. The Crozer family recently gave 
$50,000 to endow a professorship, as a memorial of their mother, 
the late Mrs. Sallie K. Crozer. Connected with the Seminary is 
"Pearl Hall," founded by William Bucknell, in memory of his late 
wife, Margaret, daughter of John P. Crozer, and the name it bears 
— Peax-1 — is the signification of Margaret in the Latin tongue. Mr. 
Bucknell's gift, including the sum expended in the structure and 
books, amounted to $50,000. The building, a Greek cross, is of 
serpentine stone; the floor of the main appartment laid in tiles, and 
is admirably arranged for the purposes of the library, which compri- 
ses about ten thousand volumes, a large number being works of re- 
ference, but in the collection are many early printed and scarce 
books. In a few instances the only known copies of several theo- 
logical treatises extant are to be found in this library. 

The Seminary building is of brick stuccoed, two hundred feet in 
length, forty in width and three stories in height, with basement. 
From the rear of the building is an addition, forty feet wide and 
fifty feet in length, at right angles to the main structure. The 



^28 Historical Sketch of Chester, 

present faculty consist of Rev. Henry G. Weston, D. D., President 
and Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Duties; Rev. Greorge R. 
Bliss, D. D., LL. D., Professor of Biblical Interpretation; Rev. 
John C. Long, D. D., Professor of Church History; Rev. Elias H. 
Johnson, D. D., Professor of Christian Theology; Rev. James M. 
Stiffler, D. D., Professor of New Testament Exegesis, and Rev. 
Barnard C. Taylor, A. M., Assistant Professor of Biblical In- 
terpretation. 



The Pusey House. 22§ 



THE PUSEY HOUSE AT UPLAND. 



THE OLDEST BUILDING STANDING IN THE COMMON- 
WEALTH. 

THE oldest building standing intact in the State of Pennsylvania 
is the Pusey house, at Upland, which is preserved by the Crozer 
family as a sacred relic connecting the olden times of the province 
with the active progressive present. The structure, which is on 
the north side of the mill race, to the west of the road leading to 
the bridge spanning Chester creek, faces to the south and is about 
thirty feet in length, fifteen feet in breadth, and one story in 
height, crowned with a hipped roof, which gives to it the appear- 
ance of being a story and a half building. The walls, which are 
noticeable in their thickness, are of stone and brick, while the 
floor is of broad solid oak planking. The brick part of the old 
wall was evidently put there to take the place of stones which be- 
came loose and fell out of position, a fact strongly supported by an 
inspection of the inner side, which shows no bricks at all. The 
bricks in the eastern gable were placed there, it is said, after Ches- 
ter Mills had become the property of Samuel Shaw, when he re- 
paired the structure. The idea which prevails among many of our 
people that bricks in old dwellings in this Borough were of Eng- 
lish make, is entirely erroneous, for not two years after Penn's first 
coming, in a lease made by Robert Wade, of the Essex House, to 
Robert G-oforth, dated March 12, 1684, part of the property leased 
is described as abutting on the old brick kiln, near Chester creek. 
lu 1879, J. C. & W. Gr. Price, while having clay dug on the lot at 
the northeast corner of Concord Avenue and Sixth street, uncover- 



230 Historical Sketeh of Chester. 

eel the bottom of an old kiln, respecting which the oldest resident 
conld give no information. The lease mentioned, however, effec- 
tually designates the locality where the ancient remains of former 
days was unearthed as the site of the old brick yard. 

The house has two doors and two windows in the front, while a 
dormer window is in the roof, and the roof itself has been several 
times renewed. A dwarfed doorway gives admission to the room, 
with low ceilings and the heavy beams supporting the floor above, 
still disclosing the marks of the broad axe which, two centuries 
ago, hewed the felled timber into form, and to the left of the room 
is a step-ladder, enclosed in a rude gangway, giving access to the 
apartments overhead. There is the old wide-raouthed fire-place 
(now enclosed), before whose hearth — whereon the ruddy flames 
flared and flickered two centuries ago — the founder of a great Com- 
monwealth and his trusty friend and agent, Pusey, sat discussing 
the prospects of their business enterprise, or laying plans for the 
future welfare of the colony. If it be correct that Caleb Pusey 
madethe BOted visit to the Indian town in 1688 (see page 25), 
when the Province was startled from its propriety by the rumor 
that the aborigines were about to begin hostilities and massacre 
the whites, then, indeed, it is true, that "Caleb Pusey, going out 
unarmed into the forest to meet a threatened attack of the sav- 
ages, is a more heroic figure than blustering Miles Standish, gurt 
with the sword he fought with in Flanders." To the left of the 
fire-place, within easy reach, still remains the deep square hole in 
the wall which the early settlers frequently made in their dwel- 
lings, as a sort of tobacco pouch, so that the consolation which 
comes with smoke should be always close at hand and accessible to 
their guests and to themselves. 

It is hardly necessary, at this day, to correct the impression con- 
veyed by Richard Townsend, in "Proud's History," or the direct 
statement of Stephen Day in his "Historical Collections of Penn- 
sylvania," that Richard Townsend "erected the dwelling for the 
accommodation of his family while he was tending the first mill 
erected in the Province." The first mill was not erected on Ches- 
ter creek, but, nevertheless, it may not be inappropriate to tell the 
story of the old Chester Mills, and, so far as I can, correct the er- 
I'oneous impression which has gone abroad as to the Pusey house. 



Ihe Pusey House. 231 

Previous to the departure of William Penn from England, in 
1682, he entered into a verbal co-partnership with Philip Ford, 
John Bellars, Daniel Worley, Daniel Quare, John Barker, Richard 
Townsend, John Bickley, Thomas Burberry and Caleb Pusey, all 
at that time in England, and it was agreed among them to erect 
one or more water mills, to the cost of which they were to contri- 
bute in proportionate shares, for the agreement among themselves 
partook of the nature of a stock company, an:l each party received 
the interest in the venture in proportion to the amount contributed. 
Caleb Pusey was appointed agent and manager of the "said joint 
concern." The land on which the house stands was never owned 
by Townsend, but was patented to Caleb Pusey, 4th mo. 7th, 1684. 
The tract on which the mill was erected was patented to Pusey, 
"for the use of the mill," 2d mo. 5th, 1690. Many of the partners 
in the enterprise never came to the Province. The mill itself, 
ready framed, was brought over in the "Welcome," and Penn, we 
are told by Hon. Joseph J. Lewis, m his sketches ot Chester coun- 
ty, was present when the first dam was made. It is documentary 
evidence, in an old deed, dated December 19, 1705, now owned by 
the Crozer family, that in 1683, Caleb Pusey, "with the advice of 
the sd Proprietary and such others of the said partners as there 
were in the Province," erected a ''corn mill on Chester creek, near 
his new dwelling house," which mill, with the dam belonging to 
it, were soon carried away by the flood. Caleb Pusey afterwards, 
by advice of Penn and "ye other partner that was here," (doubt- 
less Richard Townsend) erected a little above where the first mill 
stood, another grist and saw mill upon part of the twenty acres 
patented for the use of the mill at the cost of the firm. The se- 
cond dam was in turn swept away by flood, and he erected a 
third dam at the distance of a mile beyond where the others were 
located, and constructed a race to convey the water to the mill. 
The expenses attending these constant repairs were so great that 
the outlay far exceeded the earnings of the mill, and Pusey bor- 
rowed money from time to time from Robert Turner to pay for the 
improvements. The partners refusing, with the exception of Penn 
and Pusey — Richard Townsend had sold his interest to Pusey se- 
veral years before — to pay their proportions of the costs, suit was 
brought by Turner for j6390, 8s, 7d half-penny. Judgment was 



^E2 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

entered in his favor, June 14, 1692, and the Coroner, Jacob Sim- 
cock — Pusey was at the time Sheriff of the county and interested 
in the case— was required to sell the estate in payment of the 
judgment. The property was a' sessed at <£550. It was offered at 
Sheriff's sale, but found no buyers, and on September 13, 1692, the 
Coroner -sold the interest of the delinquent parties to Robert Tur- 
ner at the appraisement, and the latter sold his interest to Samuel 
Carpenter, who, for thirteen years, until December 19, 1705, was a 
partner with Penn and Pusey, in the milling business. Doubtless 
when repairs were made to the mill, in 1699, the rude iron vane 
bearing the initials \V. P., (William Penn,) S. (\, (Samuel Carpen- 
ter,) C. P., ((-aleb Pusey,) and the date, 1699, was placed on the 
building. When liichard Flower owned the property, the old vane 
surmounted the dwelling house of the owner, but on gusty nights 
turning in the wind it squeaked and groaned so noisily that it was 
taken down. In 1870, Reese W. Flower presented it to the His- 
torical Society of Pennsylvania, and it now points the wind on that 
building, although so added to and gilded that those who remem- 
ber it as it was in Upland would hardly recognize it now. 

In 1705, Carpenter sold his interest to Pusey, and the property 
subsequently had several owners, while the interest of Penn seems- 
to have become a charge on the land, which was recognized until 
the War of the Revolution extinguished the title of the "Chief 
Lords of the Fee " About 1745, the old mill having been almost 
destroyed by an accidental fire, a new stone mill was built by Jo- 
seph Pennell, the then owner of the property and the grandfather 
of John P. Crozer, who was a builder, worked on the structure, 
which stood, I think, until 1858, when it in turn was destroyed by 
an accidental fire. The dam breast was built in 1752, by Samuel 
Shaw while he was owner of the property. 

Too much credit cannot be accorded to the Crozer family for the 
care they have taken in preserving this old relic — the Pusey house 
— from the ravages of time. Many years ago the building was 
used as a school house by Mrs. Warren Dixon, but at the present 
time it is inhabited by a colored family, rent free, on condition 
that they shall protect the premises from the vandalism of relic 
hunters. 



i:^^>UUUAJjLlS ^ SffS]jia!uULjIlLllK lMS^^^ Li:Uj 



?ZS!3^CE33C^i;^va 




urniiviiiiniimiifiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitfiJiiijT'rru- 

'mnniiiiir''"" 

WILLIAM PENIM, AGE 52 YEARS. 
[Prom Portrait in yational Museum, Philadfli>>i\a.] 



CHI.IiBKATION 



()!•• THE 



-£Bi-ci:ntenary^ 



OF THR 



LANDINf; OF WILLIAM PENN 

AT UPLAND, 



(NOW CHESTER,) 



()CT()]51:K 28, 1682. 



Prelbnivary Work of the General Committee. 235 



PRELIMINARY WORK OF THE GENERAL 
COMMITTEE. 



TFIK idea of celebrating the Bi-Centennial Anniversary of the 
landing of William Penn, the Founder of this Commonwealth, 
had been for some time a subject of interest to its citizens, but it 
was not until the early spring of 1 882, that it took definite shape. 
The actual time of the landing is somewhat in doubt. We know 
that the "good ship, Welcome, Robert Greenaway, Master," which 
brought Penn and his associates to this country, sighted the Capes 
of the Delaware, about the 24th of October, 1682. We know that 
Penn landed at New Castle on the 27th, and that he was there on 
the morning of the 28th and in Upland — now Chester — on the 29th. 
Whether he arrived here on the evening of the 28th, or the morning 
of the 29th is uncertain, the balance of evidence being slightly in 
favor of the latter. That he was here on the 29th of October, 0. 
S., we are certain, for the letters, /ac similes of which are given in 
this volume, were dated here on that day. The 29th of October,* 
0. S., 1682, may, therefore, be fairly accepted as the actual an- 
niversary of his landing at Upland, in the absence of more conclu- 
sive evidence, and the 8th of November, N. S., 1882, in fact com- 
pleted the two hundredth year since the landing and should have 
been the day selected for the Celebration here. 

As will be seen, however, Chester had no voice in this matter, 
the date being fixed by the State Bi-Centennial Association. 

On April 4, 1882, C. W. Alexander, Secretary of the State 
Bi-Centennial Association, visited our city and conferred with 
Mayor James Barton, Jr., and a few citizens, and on June 12, 

■'■■in this opinion of Mr. Johnson's, Mr. Ashmead does not concur. 



236 Historical SkHch of Chester. 

1882, a formal call was issued by a Committee, consisting of James 
Barton, Jr., jMayor; H. B. Black, President of Council: D. M. John- 
son, Frank S. Baker, Isaiah H. Mirkil and Richard Miller, for a 
meeting of citizens to consider the part which Chester should take 
in tlie proposed celebration. The call was as follows: 

To the ciiisem of Chester and vicinity : 

The Bi-Centennial Association of Pennsylvania have fixed upon the week commen- 
cing October 22, 1882, for the general celebration of the 200th anniversary of the 
founding of the Commonwealth by William Penn, and have outlined a programme 
of exercises as follows : 

Sunday, October 22, introductory religious services appropriate to the event 
throughout the State ; Monday, October 23, formal opening of the ceremonies of the 
week and celebration at Chester ; October 24, 25, 26, and 27, are set apart for pro- 
cessions, trades' displays, musical festivals, parades, &c., in the city of Philadelphia. 

The Executive Committee of the said Associaton are looking to the people of Ches- 
ter and vicinity to arrange and perfect plans for the suitable observance of the 23rd, 
to which the said committee will lend its co-operation. 

The undersigned were constituted a committee by the Council of Chester to take 
this subject into consideration, and they, after deliberation, deem it most important 
first that a public meeting of citizens should be called for the purpose of devising the 
best means of carrying out the designs of the State Committee, so far as they relate 
to the celebration in this city. We, therefore, invite you to assemble for that purpose 
in the City Hall, on the 15th inst., at 7.30, P, M. 

The following gentlemen have been invited and are expected to be present: Hon. 
John M. Broomall, Hon. Wm. Ward, Hon. Washington Townsend, Hon Thomas 
J. Clayton, Hon. J. Smith Futhey, Robert E. Monaghan, Esq., Samuel A. Crozer, 
John Roach, Samuel Riddle, John B. Rhodes, Esq., Ex-Mayor Larkin, Ex-Mayor 
Forwood, Dr. Elwood Harvey and A. Lewis Smith, Esq. C. W. Ale.xander, Secre- 
tary, Alexander P. Colesbury, Manager, and Thomas M. Thompson, of the Bi-Cen- 
tennial Committee of Philadelphia, will be present. 

JAMES BARTON, JR., Mayor. 

H. B. BLACK, President of Council. 

D. M. JOHNSON, 

FRANK S. BAKER, 

ISAIAH H. MIRKIL, 

RICHARD MILLER. 

Chester, yunc ^th, 1882. Committee. 

On the evening of the 15th about a hundred of the prominent 
citizens of the place met at the City Hall, and on motion of H. B. 
Black, Mayor Barton was chosen Chairman, Messrs. J. L. Forwood, 
M. D., H. B. Black, R. P. Mercer, M. D., and William Appleby, 
Vice-Presidents, and J. Craig, Jr., William Shaler Johnson and 
Edmund Jones, Esq., Secretaries. 



Preliminary Work of the Geveral Committee. 237 

Speeches were then made by Alexander P. Colesbury, General 
Manager- Clifford P. McCalla, Corresponding Secretary and Thomas 
M. Thompson, Manager of the Civic Display, all of the State As- 
sociation and by Ex-Mayor J. L. Forwood and others, and letters 
of regret from C. W. Alexander, of Philadelphia ; John B. Roach, of 
Chester, and Hon. Washington Townsend and R. E. Monaghan, of 
West Chester, were read. 

The following resolutions were then offered by D. M. Johnson, 
Esq., and unanimously adopted : 

"Resolved, That this meeting deem it advisable that the two hundredth anniver- 
sary of the landing of William Penn in Chester, should be observed and celebrated 
with appropriate ceremonies, and that the proposed celebration shall take place on 
the 23d of October next. 

"Resolved, That a Committee of persons be appointed by the Chairman of this 
meeting which Committee shall have full power to collect and disburse funds, and 
make all necessary arrangements for a becoming and general celebration of said anni- 
versary, and that said Committee shall have power to add to its members, if found 
necessary." 

The number of the Committee was left to the Mayor's discretion, 
and he was made Chairman for the purpose of calling the Commit- 
tee together for organization. 

On the 19th of June, the Mayor appointed the following gentle- 
men to serve on the General Committee under the above resolution: 

Henry B. Black, Henry Palmer, 

Isaiah H. Mirkil, Ex-Mayor John Larkin, Jr., 

David M. Johnson, Ex-Mayor J. L. Forwood, 

Richard Miller, J. Newton Shanafelt. 

Frank S. Baker, William P. Ladomus, 

William B. Broomall. 

Prof. Charles F. Foster, John C. Price, 

Samuel H. Seeds, Daniel Robinson, 

William Appleby. J. Craig, Jr., 

Dr. Robert P. Mercer, William Shaler Johnson, 

Edmund Jones. 

Lewis D. Wheaton, Charles Creamer, 

Col. Simon Litzenberg. 

G. P. Dennis, Edward W. DeSilver, 

Orlando Harvey, Edward Johnson, 

John Sanville, William McCallum, 

John Wilde, William H. Martin, 

John A. Wallace, John Spencer, 



238 



Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Oliver Troth, 
Henry Fry singer. 

Jolin B Roach, 
Amos Gartside, 
Henry Graham Ashmead, 
Robert Wetherill, 
Hon. Robert Chadwick, 
Benjamin F. Baker, 
Henry Abbott, 
WiiHam I. Leiper, 
Benjamin W. Blakeley, 
William H. Eves, 



Thomas V. Cooper, 
Joseph Chadwick, 
George W. Whitlock, 

Charles Roberts, 
John Lilley, 
Joseph Deering, 
Henry B. Taylor, 
Frank W. Thomas, 
John J. Ledward, 
Robert Howarth, 
Oliver C. McClure, 
Col. William C. Gray, 
f. William Lewis, 
J ohn O. Deshong. 



Col. Perry M. Wasbabaugh. Lieut. Edward D. Sparks, 

Captain Charles E. Hyatt. 



William J. Oglesby, 

John Fountain, 
James Buckley, 
William S. Sykes, 

Col. David F. Houston, 
Gasoway O. Yarnall, 
James Fields, 
William Worrell, 
W. Lane Verlinden, 
Thomas J. Osborne, 
George W. Beatty, 
Humphrey Y. Ash, 
Ephraim J. Ridgway. 
J. Howard Lewis, 
Chalkley Harvey, 
Edgar C. Lyons. 



Thomas }. Ross. 
Prof. John R. Sweney. 

Joel Hollingsworth, 
Edward S. McKeever, 
Stephen L. Armour, 
Mordecai Lewis. 

William E. Trainer, 
Benjamin F. Miller, 
D. Reese Esrey. 
Col. Samuel A. Dyer, 
John P. Crozer, 
Ward R. Bliss, 
George E, Darlington, 
Horace R. Manley, 
John B. Rhodes, 
Clarence Larkin, 
John H. Kerlin, 
Henry Riddle, 
William Burnley. 



At the same time a call was issueJ for a meeting of this Commit- 
tee for the purpose of organization, and for such other business as 
might come before them, on Thursday evening, June 22. The Com- 
mittee met on that evening, in City Hall, On motion of Orlando Har- 
vey, Mayor Barton was unanimously elected Chairman and the fol- 
lowing officers chosen: Vice Chairman; George E. Darlington; Re- 
cording Secretary, J. Craig, Jr.; Corresponding Secretary, H. G. 



Preliminary Work of the General Committee. "239 

Ashmead ; Treasurer, H. B. Black. At this meeting it was de- 
cided tliat fifteen members should constitute a quorum. A motion 
to appoint a Committee to take into consideration the best methods 
for raising funds and to name the necessary Sub-Committees for 
carrying out the details of the work subject to the consideration 
of the General Committee, was carried ; and on motion of Dr. K. P. 
Mercer, the permanent officers of the General Committee were in- 
structed to name a Committee of five to carry out the above resolu- 
tion. The gentlemen named were Ex-Mayor Forwood, D. M. John- 
son, Col. W. C. Gray, F. S. Baker and Edward S. McKeever, and 
the Committee adjourned to meet on Tuesday evening, June 29th. 

At the meeting June 29th, these gentlemen made an exhaustive 
report. In it they gave an outline of the exercises proposed for 
the celebration and a list of Sub-Committees. As these Sub-Com- 
mittees were somewhat changed, and in many cases members add- 
ed, the list of those composing them is omitted here, and will be* 
found at the close of this article. The persons first named on the 
several Sub-Committees were authorized to call them together, but 
their pernianent organization was left to themselves. 

From this time the work of preparation for the important event, 
went steadily on, the Sub-Committees working in unison with and 
under control of the General Committee, the latter holding meet- 
ings once a week. 

The general feeling manifested became stronger as the object 
and scope of the celebration became known, and to the gentlemen 
forming the sub-divisions of the General Committee, as well as to 
the officers of that Committee, and to those citizens who aided with 
their means, the City of Chester is indebted for the success of the 
celebration. The newspapers, with commendable liberality, opened 
iheir columns to the advertisements of the several Committees with- 
cut charge, and the civic societies and organizations were prompt 
in their response to the invitation to participate. The work of the 
General Committee closed, so far as preparation for the event was 
concerned, Thursday evening, October 19th, but that of the Sub- 
Committees ended only with the day. The meetings of the General 
and Sub-Committees, after the event were simply formal, and the 
business transacted was but the closing act of a well managed and 
well executed memorial drama. 



240 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

Below is given a list of the officers of the General Committee 
and the officers and members of the Sub-Committees. As these, 
with the honorary members, make up the General Committee, a list 
of the latter would be superfluous: 

OFFICERS OF GENERAL COMMITTEE. 

Hon. James Barton, Jr., Chairman; George E. Darlington, Vice Chairman; J. 
Craig, Jr., Recording Secretary; H. G. Ashmead, Corresponding Secretary; H. B. 
Blacli, Treasurer; Col. W. C. Gray, Chief Marshal. 

SUB-COMMITTEES — FINANCE. 

R. P. Mercer, M. D., Chairman, Ciiester. J. Craig, Jr., Secretary, Chester. Rich- 
ard Miller, Treasurer, Chester. Aston, Samuel Rhodes. Birmingham, Richard 
Baldwin. Bethel. J. Ellwood Larkin. Concord, EUwood Hannum. Chester, Wil- 
liam H. Eves, John J. Ledward William H. Martin, Henry Abbott, B. F. Baker, 
Isaiah H. Mirkil, John A, Wallace, O. C. McClure. South Chester, G. O. Yarnall, 
William J. McDowell; Chester Township, George W. Beatty. North Chester. C. S. 
Esrey. Z^a/'^j, W. Lane Verlenden. j£'(f^OT(?«^', G. Leiper Green. Haverford, ]."Q. 
Leedom. Lower Providence, WiWiBm Osborne. Lower Chichester, John H. Ker- 
lin. Newtown, William Rhodes. Marple, J. Hunter Moore. Media, Horace R. 
Manley. Middletown, William Burnley. Radnor, D. C. Abrahams. Spriyigfield, J. 
Edgar Miller. Ridley, Bethel M. Custer, William Worrall. Tinir.um,V,. F. Miller. 
Upland, John P. Crozer. Upper Darby, Isaac Garrett, Humphrey Y. Ash. Upper 
Chichester, John B. McCay, Jr, Upper Providence, Fallon C. Lewis. 

INDUSTRIAL. 

Amos Gartside, Chairman, Chester. J. Craig, Jr., Secretary, Chester. Angora, 
John Wolfenden. Chester, G. P. Denis, H. B. Black, F. W. Thomas, W. I. Leiper, 
Henry Palmer, B. W. Blakeley, Robert Chadwick, Charles Roberts, James W. Wat- 
son, T. J. Houston, John Sanville, John Fountain, Tliomas Clough. Clifton Heights, 
Albert Levis. Glen Mills, Mark Wilco.x. Lower Chichester, Clarence Larkin. Mid- 
dletown, Henry Riddle, William Burnley. North Chester, D. Reese Esrey, William 
A. Irving, C. W. Andrews, E. S. Worrell. Nether Providence, Thomas J. Osborne. 
South Chester, Col. D. F. Houston, Richard Peters, Jr., J. E. Dermody. Ridley, 
Joseph Ward. 

CIVIC DISPLAY. 

J. Newton Shanafelt, Chairman, Chester. William S. Sykes, Secretary, Chester. 
Chester, John Wilde, G. P. Denis, Orlando Harvey, Edward W. DeSilver, Edward 
Johnson, William McCallum, W. H. Martin, P. Bradley, John Fountain, Joel Hol- 
lingsworth, S. L. Armour, Mordecai Lewis, John Wallis, Stephen J. Dowrick, Robert 
Watson, J. P. Volkhardt, N. W. Pennell, Robert Auter. South Chester, E. S. Ro- 
binson. Media, Joseph G. Cummins. ', 



Preliminary Work of the General Committee. 241 



TRADES DISPLAY. 



H. B. Taylor, Chairman, Chester. H. A. Eisenbise, Secretary, Chester. Chester, 
Robert Howarth, John Wilde, Joseph Deering, Nathan Larkin, Joseph McAIdon, 
Joseph Messick, Charles Creamer, James F. Stewart, Samuel Oglesby. 



MILITARY. 



Col W. C. Gray, Chairman, Chester. Chester, Col. P. M. Washabaugh, Capt. C. 
E. Hyatt. Lieut. Edward D. Sparks. Media, Capt. Jesse M. Baker. 



EDUCATIONAL. 

Prof. C. F. Foster, Chairman, Chester. Prof. George Gilbert, Secretary, Chester. 
Chester, Col. Theodore Hyatt, Samuel H. Seeds, John C. Price, Daniel Robinson. 
Elwyn, Dr. I. N. Kerlin. Media, Prof. S. C. Shortlidge. Ridley, Prof. A. B. Stewart. 

MUSIC. 

William J. Oglesby, Chairman, Chester. Dr. R. P, Mercer, Secretary, Chester. 
Chester, Prof John R. Sweney, Prof. C. F Foster, William McCoUura, William P. 
Ladomus, Thomas Ross. 

HISTORICAL. 

Oliver Troth, Chairman, Chester. William S. Johnson, Secretary, Chester. Ches- 
ter, H. G. Ashmead, Henry Frysinger, John Spencer, George W. Whitlock, Isaiah 
H. Mirkil, Thomas Lees. Concord, Col. Frank M. Etting. Lower Chichester R. 
Morgan Johnson, John B. Okie. Media, Joseph Chadwick. North Chester. Adam 
C. Eckfeldt. Upland, Ward R. Bliss. 

firemen's display. 

William Ewing, Chairman, Chester. Chester, William Kelley, A. J. Bowers, 
John L. Hoffman, William Dolton. 

ORATORY, invitation AND RECEPTION. 

Orlando Harvey, Chairman, Chester. Frank G. Sweeney, Secretary, Chester. 
Chester, G. P. Denis, William Appleby, John O. Deshong, William B. Broomall, 
Col. W. C. Gray, Hon. J. L. Forwood, Hon. WiUiam Ward, H. B. Black, Dr. Ell- 
wood Harvey. Media, Hon. Thomas V. Cooper. Middletown, E. C. Lyons. 

PENN LANDING. 

B. F. Baker, Chairman, Chester. Edward S. McKeever, Secretary, Chester. 
Chester, D. M. Johnson, Edmund Jones, Col. Simon Litzenberg, Capt. F. S. Baker, 
Hon. William Ward, Robert Anderson, Lorenzo Nugent. Upper Chichester, Job 
Green. 



242 



Historical Sketch of Chester. 



FIRE WORKS. 

William H. iVlart:n, Chairman. Chester. Chester, Col. W. C. Gray, Charles Ro- 
berts, H. B. Black, Samuel Greenwood. 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 

/ 

Amos Gartside. Chairman, Chester. Chester, William Appleby, Richard Miller, 
Capt. F. S. Baker, Col. Simon Litzenberg. 

HONORABLE MEMBERS OF GENERAL COMMITTEE 

Chester. )ohn B. Roach, L. D. Wheaton, Edmund Pennell, Spencer Mclivain, 
James Barton, Sr., Joseph Taylor, William V. Black, John Geltson, Thomas Moore, 
Benjamin Gartside, Hon. John Larkin, Jr., John Roach, Edward H. Engle, William 
Murphy, John Eves, Pennock Mercer. North Chester, Col. Samuel A. Dyer. Media, 
Hon. Edward Darlington. Middletoion, Samuel Riddle, Richard S. Smith. Rid- 
ley, Jacob Worr.^11, James Each'jis. South Chester, John J. Thurlow. 



SU.SSC??iBER3 TO THE FUND. 
CHESTER. 



Thomas Appleby $10 00 

William Appleby 10 00 

Henry Abbott 10 00 

Robert Anderson 5 00 

W. B. Broomall 10 00 

John Brooks 5 00 

G. W. Beatty 5 i^O 

A. Buclianan 1 00 

W. Bagsbaw 3 00 

J. M. Burke 2(0 

Mr.'*, Booth 2 00 

D. S. Bunting 10 00 

T. C. Burke 1 00 

Baker & Culbert 5 00 

John M. Broom 11 2 00 

J. B. Bergmann 1 00 

George M. Bootli 5 00 

John iVI. Booth 1 00 

William Beaver 2 00 

B. K.Baker 5 00 

H. B. Black 10 00 

William V. Black 10 00 

A. Blakeley & Son 25 00 

F. S. Baker 5 00 

J. Brewster 2 00 

I. P. Branin 5 00 

Bowers & Son 10 00 

Samuel Black 1 0'> 

Charles Cheetham 5 00 

B. Chadwick 10 00 

S.J. Cochran 5 00 

Thomas Coulter 2 00 

J. E. Cardwell 100 

J. Cheetham 2 50 

James Culbert 2 00 

E. G. Conwell 1 00 

M. ConnoUv 1 00 

J. P. Clayton 5 00 



(lash 16 50' 

H. B. Davis 5 00 

J. Deny 100 

A. O. D'eshong 20 00 

J. O. De hong 20 00 

P. P. Derric son... , 5 00 

S. D. Danlield 5 00 

S.A.Dyer 20 00 

H. L. Donaldson 3 00 

Joseph Deering 2 00 

G. P. Denis 25 00 

J, L. Entwisle 5 00 

Adam C. Eckfeldt 10 00 

William H. Eves 10 00 

J.J. Evans 2 00 

William P. Eyre 10 00 

Eisenbise & Bro 6 00 

^W. B. Edwards 5 00 

C. Emlen 2(0 

T. D. Finegan 5 00 

Samuel Greenwood 20 00 

Benjamin Gartside & Sons 50 (lO 

Henry Gofi' 5 00 

J. Girtside 10 CO 

William Gregg 25 

George Gilbert 3 00 

John Genther 5 00 

John Gardner 2 00 

G. Gerstley 1 00 

John Gofl'. 5 00 

John P. Gartside 5 00 

Orlando Harvey — 6 00 

S. P. Howard 2 00 

Hugb Hatton 5 00 

Mrs. Hardy 2 00 

W. Hunter, Jr 1 00 

D. G. Hendricks 100 

Headley & Manon 2 00 



Preliymnary Work of the General Committee. 



24S 



JoLn Hamilton 10 ' 

Charles E. Hyatt 10 00 

.lohn B. Hannum 2 00 

Irvinsj & Leiper 25 00 

Edmund Jones 5 00 

Dr. Johnson 5 00 

L. G. James 5 00 

J. K Johnson- 2 00 

D. M. Johnson 5 on 

F. Kroneberger..., 2 00 

Dr. Kish 6 00 

Edward Kelly 2 00 

Mrs. Kershaw 1 Oo 

Paul Klotz 2 00 

William Kurer 2 00 

J. C Kepner 1 00 

Lilley & Sons 10 00 

L. I . Lukens & Co „ 5 00 

Samuel Lyons 2 OO 

J. William Lewis 20 00 

,T. H. Ladomus 1 00 

Thomas Lytle 5 00 

J. A. Ladomu- 1 00 

John Lee- 1 00 

J. Larkiu, Jr 5 00 

H. G. Mason 5 00 

W. H. Iiiartin 3 75 

Key. Thomas McCauley 5 00 

Joseph Messick 5 00 

Benjamin Morris ..« 2 00 

F. it. McCollum 5 00 

Mrs. Morrison - 5 00 

Morton & Black 10 00 

Eichard Miller 5 dO 

Thomas Mirkil 5 00 

Samuel Mcllyain 5 00 

D. McCurdy 5 00 

McOall & Yurnall 5 00 

William McClure...... 100 

N. P. Moyer 1 00 

Not to know 10 00 

Lorenzo Nugent 1 00 

William J. Oglesby 5 00 

M. Ocheltree 3 00 



CD. Pennell 10 00 

D. P. Paiste 1 00 

Samuel Powell S 00 

Ann Pike 1 Oo 

Dr. Parsons 3 00 

S. J. Rose & Son 5 0© 

R.E. Boss„ 5 00 

Borer & Mingin ... 2 00 

C. E Bodges 1 00 

Cliarles Roberts 5 00 

J. W. Bawcliffe 10' 

J. Rodgers 5 00 

Shaw, E rey & Co §(• fO 

J . H. Stroud & Co 10 00 

E. D. Sparks 10 00 

K. Simon 1 00 

J Stewart 100 

J. M. Stoever 2 00 

Dr. Samuel Starr 2 00 

John Stewart 5 00 

J. Stephens 5 00 

R. L. Thomas 100 

H. B. Taylor 5 00 

T. Turner 1 00 

Jonathan Taylor 5 00 

R. E. Turner 2 00 

F. C Torpey 100 

Dr. Ulrich 10 00 

A. Uhlenbrock , 5 00 

D. M. Ulrich „.. 2 00 

William H Williams 5 00 

G. B Wilson lo 00 

C. Willis 2 00 

E. S. Worrell 10 00 

J. Whitehead 5 00 

H. N. Weid er 2 00 

J. E. Woodbridge 5 00 

C. B. Wight 100 

John Wilde 2 00 

George W.Wood 100 

Robert Wetherill & Co 20 00 

William Wilson 100 

Total— Chester- $950 00 



SOUTH CHESTER, 



John Benton $2 00 

E. T. Bvrne 1 00 

Z. T. Bartleson 1 « 

Michael Burk 1 00 

Chester Oil Works 25 00 

T. J. Clayton 10 00 

Chester Boiling Mills 25 00 

Samuel Cotton... 3 00 

P. Conarty 100 

C. A. Dubhorn 1 00 

T. Doyle 1 00 

S. M. Felton 25 00 

Edward Ferry 5 00 

Scott Grace 100 

William Grannan 1 Oo 

D. P. Houston 10 00 

• William J. Hewes 1 00 

William Hawley 100 

Samuel Hewes 100 

Edward Harkins 1 00 

M. Knight 1 00 



F. Kohle 1 00 

Law & Deveney 20 00 

William Lewis 5 00 

J. Lamplugh 100 

William H. Major 5 00 

C. G. Neal 1 00 

herbert Norton 1 00 

Mrs. O'Donnell 1 00 

P irker & Matlack 1 00 

H. J. Riley 5 00 

J. J. Ryan 1 00 

John Roberts 1 00 

H. J, Reiley.. 1 00 

P. Reiley 100 

W. G. Sears 1 00 

Samuel P. Stevenson..... 100 

George Travner 1 00 

L. A. Tucker 1 00 

L. Zebley • 1 00 

Total— South Chester^ ..$168 00 



RADNOR. 



Arthur & Warner $10 00 D. C. Abrahams 500 

L. W. Adams 5 00 Martha Brown 15 00 



244 



Historical Sketch of Chester. 



R. Beaumont 2 00 

Lewis T. Brooke 5 00 

George W. Childs 25 00 

John Conner 5 00 

T. T. Crosley 2 00 

Joseph H. Childs 2 00 

Cash 5 00 

Maskel Ewing 10 00 

James G. Francis^, 5 00 

F. Fennimore 5 00 

I, ewis Garrett 5 00 

Jesse Gyger 5 00 

Dr. C. w. Horner 10 00 

George Hunter 5 00 

Thomas B. Jones 2 00 

And rson Kirk.... 5 00 

Benjamin Kirk 2 00 

Tryon Lewis 5 00 



A. Montgomery 10 00 

T. H. Morris 5 00 

F. W. Mc^ris 5 00 

W. "W". Montgomery 5 00 

H Pleasants, Jr 5 00 

Philip P. Place 10 00 

Charles Pugh 100 

Peter Pechin 2 00 

James Bawle 15 00 

Theodore D. Rand... 5 00 

W. H. Ramsey 5 00 

T. F. Ramsey 2 00 

John S acker 5 00 

W. G. Thomas 20 00 

J. K. Valentine 10 00 

W. W. Whiing 5 00 

Total— Radnor $250 00 



CONCORD. 



M. Buckley 25 

S. E. Buckley 50 

B. Hannum 101 

R. M. Harvey 100 

John Hart 50 

W. B. Hannum 25 

Anna Hannum 25 



S. A. McCall 50 

N. Y. Scott 2 00 

J. B. Scot' 1 00 

Jesse Scott 50 

W. p. Yarnall 1 00 

Total— Concord S8 75 



ASTON. 



A. C. England $1 00 Sharpless & Jenkins 3 00 

J. B. Khodes , 5 00 Ellwood Tyson 3 00 

Samuel Rhodes 10 50 

C. B. Rhodes - 2 00 Total— Aston S25 00 

Hugh Ray 50 



LOWER CHICHESTER. 



C. Larkin.. 



; 00 D. Trainer & Son , 



Total-Lower Chichester SflO 00 

MEDIA. 



J. VI. Broomall, Jr. 



I CO B. N. Lehman , 



5 00 



100 



Cash 14 00 



Total— Media S25 00 

NEWTOWN. 



Jesse Brooks. 



1 00 William Rhodes 



5 00 



Total— Newtown $8 00 

MARPLE. 
Total— Marple. $25 00 

RIDLEY. 
Total— Ridley .....$40 00 

UPLAND, 



S. A. Crozer . 



I 00 J. P. Crozer 



50 00 



Total— Upland $100 00 



Preliminary Work of the General Committee. 245 



ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS. 

Pennsylvania Railroad Company ...$500 00 Prof. C. F. Foster 10 00 

SPhila., Wil. & Bait. Railroad Co 250 00 — 

Bddystone Manufacturing Co 50 no Tot^l »2,569 75 

William Simpson & Son 50 00 Appropriated by city of Chester.... 400 00 



John Roach & Son ., 100 00 



$2,969 75 



The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company kindly dis- 
continued the runnino of their freight trains on the Front Street 
Branch on the day of the Celebration, and planked over their bridge 
over Chester creek, at Front street, for the accommodation of the 
people who desired to cross at that point, a courtesy which was 
thoroughly appreciated. 

Donations as follows were received by the Committee and thank- 
fully acknowledged. These may be regarded also as subscriptions 
for the general purpose' — 

Evening News, advertising $72 01 School Board, music stand $15 00 

Times and Gazette, '■ 52 45 Headley & Mabon, reduction 5 13 

Advocate, •' 29 32 Col. W. C. Gray, badges 3 50 

Democrat, '< 26 80 Volkhart Bros 70 

Republican, " 25 00 

Record, " 16 50 Total.. $26141 

American, " 15 00 

Total................. ....$237 ©8 



246 Historical Sketch vf Chester. 



FRIENDS AND THE BI-CENTENNIAL 

[Korjtrikted by Sarat] B, Flitcraft.] 



First day, lOthino., 22cl, 1882. 

AT the close of a meeting for worship of the Religious Society 
of Friends, on First day, lOth mo. ]st, 1882, at their Meeting 
House, on Market Street, Chester, Pennsylvania, they conferred 
together in reference to holding a Bi-Centennial in commemoration 
of the landing of William Penn at this place. After a full express- 
ion and interchange of sentiment all agreed it would be proper and 
appropriate for Friends to have such an occasion, wherein they 
could hold forth to the community, the virtues and practical life of 
this distinguished man, who founded the Colony of Pennsylvania up- 
on a just and equitable basis, and conducted it on the principles of 
Peace as long as he and his friends had the management and con- 
trol of the government. The time and place agreed upon was 10th mo. 
22d, at 2.30, P. M., in their Meeting House, on Market street, being 
the First day prior to the State Bi-Centennial. The following com- 
mittee was appointed to make arrangements for the proposed meet- 
ing : Sarah B. Flitcraft, Thomas J. Houston, Elias H. West, Rachel 
P. Leys, Arabella M. Miller, Sallie R. Milner, Arabella Hinkson, 
Allen Flitcraft, Isaac T. Lewis, Kate D. West, Jennie S. Lamborn, 
George M. Booth, Alfred Lamborn, Susanna S. Houston and Arthur 
H. Middleton. 

Long before the appointed time the Meeting House was filled to 
overflowing, hundreds being unable to gain admission. The exer- 
cises were interestmg throughout and were conducted in a plain un- 
ostentatious way. 

JOHN M, BROOM ALL, of Media, Pa., opened the meeting with a 
brief address, in which he eulogized William Penn as a sound practi" 
cal statesman and a representative Friend, He spoke of the event 



Friends and the Bi-Centennial. 247 

we commemorate as one of the highest interest, being the only in- 
stance in which the principles of Christianity, as taught in the Ser- 
mon on the Mount, were ever applied to the founding of a State or 
Nation. Those principles were then put forth upon their trial as 
rules of human conduct. If they filled, Christianity is a failure; 
but they did not fail A State was founded among a barbarous 
people, in which the sword was expressly and openly repudiated, 
and kindness, forbearance and love, made the corner-stones of 
the structure in its stead. For seventy years, and as long as those 
principles were acted upon, the State enjoyed profound peace, without 
armies, forts or arsenals. It is to the credit of both races, that for 
forty years no blood on either side was shed by the hand of the other, 
and it is to the credit of the ruder race that the first violation of 
the sanctity of life across the line of the races, was committed by 
a white man. Penn's colony without the sword enjoyed a tran- 
quility far beyond that of any other colony with it. In the face of 
this success of the first and only experiment, it will not do to call 
Christianity a failure in the founding of a State. In fact the law of 
kindnes.s has succeeded wherever it has been tried; the inebriate, 
the lunatic, the 'imbecile, the waifs and strays of humanity, all 
yield to its power. It is well known that vengeance and cruelty 
are failures in the suppression of crime; courts and prisons are 
schools for criminals and will remain so until we learn to treat the 
criminal as a brother and minister to his "mind diseased," in the 
spirit of kindness. Society is largely responsible for his condition, 
and it owes itself, as well as him, the duty of taking care of him 
for his good and its safety. 

He spoke of war in strong and earnest language. It is the sub- 
mission of the cause of quarrel to the arbitrary will of the stronger 
party. There is no legal limit to the power of the conqueror ; by 
the laws of war, prisoners may be enslaved and sold, or killed and 
eaten at the pleasure of the victor, and no law of war is violated. The 
business of war is to burn, to ravage, to destroy, to kill ; and the fact 
that the customs of modern belligerents are less bad than this, is 
proof that the world is outgrowing some of its wickedness, and is 
approaching, though still a great way off, the standard set up by the 
Divine Master. He spoke of national arbitrament as a means of 



248 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

avoiding war, and gave instances of its adoption and success. In- 
dividual disputes w^ere once settled by the sword: now nearly all 
of them are settled by submission to the judgment of disinterested 
men. If nations would practice the rule they enforce on their 
subjects and citizens, would set the example instead of prescribing 
the law they refuse to obey themselves, armies would soon be classed 
among the things that were, the sword would "be beaten into a 
ploughshare and the spear into a pruning hook." 

The following letter and poem from John G. Whittier were then 
read by ELLA HOOD, of West Chester: 

Oak Knoll, Danvers, Mass., loth mo., jtli, 1882. 
To Sarah B. Flitcraft, Chester, Pa. 

My Dear Friend— \i is well that Friends should commemorate the landing of the 
Founder of Pennsylvania, and the great apostle of their faith, on the pleasant shores 
of Chester two centuries ago. The event so picturesque in its surroundings and cir- 
cumstances, so important in its results and influence, is a subject worthy of the poet's 
pen or the painter's pencil, I should be glad if it were possible for me to put into fit- 
ting metrical form the thoughts and emotions which it awakens. But the burden of 
years begins to rest heavily upon me and I shrink from the effort of handling such a 
theme. In spite of the endeavor of a historian more regardful of the display of his 
rhetoric and sarcasm than of historical accuracy and justice, the memory of William 
Penn is secure in its grand outlines. He stands, and will forever stand, with the sages, 
statesmen and philanthropists, of whom the world of their day was not worthy. He 
lived and thought centuries in advance of his contemporaries; and, slowly but surely, 
the generations since have been approaching the moral and political standard which 
he set up on the shores of the Delaware. 

Looking over some old papers recently, I found some verses written by me when a 
boy of sixteen —nearly sixty years ago. Of course the circumstances under which 
they were penned, alone entitle them to notice, but I venture to send them, as the 
only response to thy request which I can make. 

I am truly thy friend, JOHN G. Whittier. 

WULIilAM P£IliN. 



The tyrant on his gilded throne, 

The warrior in his battle dress, 
The holier triumph ne'er have known 

Of justice an'l of righteousness. 

Founder of Pennsylvania! Thou 
Didst feel it, when thy words of peace 

Smoothed the stern chieftain's swarthy brow, 
And bade the dreadful war-dance cease. 

On Schuylkill's banks no fortress frowned, 
The peaceful cot alone was there: 

No beacon fires the hilltops crowned, 
No death shot swept the Delaware. 

In manners meek, in precepts mild. 
Thou and thy friends serenely taught 

The savage huntsman, fierce and wild. 
To raise to Heaven his erring thought. 

How all unlike the bloody band 

That unrelenting Cortez led 
To princely Montezuma's land, 

And ruin 'round his pathway shed. 



Wriends avd the Bi-Centemiial. 24*9 



With hearts that knew not how to spare, 

Disdaining milder means to try, 
The crimson sword alone was there, 

The Indian's choice to yield or die! 

But thou, meek Pennsylvanian sire. 

Unarmed, alotie, from terror free, 
Taught by the heathen council fire 

The lessons of Christianity. 

Founder of Pennsylvania's State! 

Not on the blood- wet rolls of fame. 
But with the wise, the good, the great, 

The world shall place thy sainted name! 

SARAH L. UBERHOLTZER, of Cambria, Pa., then read the 
following original poem: 

A BI-CENTBUflBIAI. FOEW. 



The broad and placid Delaware glides on its outward way 
To meet the vessels that anon come sailing up the Bay. 

Two hundred years ago, the same, its silvery ripples met 

The good ship "Welcome" and the Friends whose footsteps halo yet 

Their landing place. The Autumn wood, though nearer then and dense, 

Waved with its banners, bright as now, salute of deference. 

Calm Nature's pulse beats ever on the same measure true; 

'Tis only we who come and go, meet, love and bid adieu. 

Favored are we, whose ancestors paused here with William Penn, 

To see the soft October light fall on the place as when 

They from the vessel reached the shore and thanked the living Lord 
That He unto the friends of peace such haven did accord. 

I see them now, through fancy's mist, upon the river's breast 
Lower their sails, and near the land with relief manifest. 
The mute thanksgiving of their souls I seem almost to feel 
As land is reached and on the sward they press possession's seal. 
It was then Chester, christened fair, assumed her English name 
At Penn's desire, when Pearson said he from that city came; 
And peace, transplanted, grew apace; philanthropy bloomed free; 
Unfolding and expanding fast within the Colony. 
The Friends in Pennsylvania, had right of thought and speech.- 
No poison bars their spirits tried, but conscience wrought for each. 
They founded homes with altars wide wherein the inward light 
Burned as love's incense, and illumed privation's darkest night; 

They founded temples plain of prayer, where words were sometimes given 
To lead the pilgrims meeting there closer to Christ and Heaven; 

They blessed the state which blessed again the stranger in its turn; 
They pushed the forest from the shore and bade the corn sojourn. 

Early, 'neath Shackamaxon's elm of shadows soft and brown 
Good William Penn the fragrant piece of olive branch laid down. 
The Indian Chiefs inhale'd its breath and each with smiling face, 
Acknowledged friendship's covenant for the Algonquin race. 

The treaty, perfect in its bonds and. wise in every clause, 
Was more effectually kept than any modern laws. 

The Algonquins loved William Penn and all his Colony; 
Their better natures he unlocked with his great kindness key. 

For love is best and peace is safe, whate'er we wish to gain, 
And balm is better cure for ill, forevermore than pain. 



250 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



His " Golden Rule " they understood, through intellectual nighf,. 
And kept the friendly promises close as a sacred right. 
Penii planned the city of his love, a " country towne and greene,"^ 
Where the glad Schuylkill waters with the Delaware's convene. 
He left the garden plots, the squares, which rest our eyes to-day 
As we walk down the pavements red of Philadelphia. 
Dear City ! she, with pageantry and pardonable pride. 
Now celebrates her Patron's care through a vast human tide. 

The plain, the wise, the Christian man would scarcely know his owra 
If he could see his fair green towns their limits long outgrown; 

His broad 'Sylvania's forests wide hemmed in by well tilled fields 
To playtime patches, which no game from the late sportsman shields" 

His land abloom with villages; his rivers glad and rills 

Low voiced, their merriment all gone to quench the thirst of mills; 

His people sown, as by the wind, about the broad domain, 
Not always marked by cut of coat yet of religion plain; 
His mountains broken in their height, tunneled for ore or trade; 
And, far beneath the surface line, the thud of miners' spade. 
The coal, the iran, the oil and more, earth's jewels hidden then, 
Are burnished now and beautiful with light and warmth to men. 

Could the great Founder of our State, whose memory we revere. 
Have foreseen these developments the day he landed here? 

His thanks to kindly Providence, that sailing perils o'er, 

He and his fellow pilgrims were ^afe upon the shore. 

Had been e'en greater than they were, albeit they were great, - 

For in the Union Arch I ween there is no richer State. 

And we, whose fathers came with Penn, take- voice for them to-day. 

Feeling their thoughts within us live though they have passed away; 

That thanks we give and prayers we breathe are supplement to their's-. 

Although two hundred years have slept safe in their silent lairs. 

The years must sleep as Winters come, and so it seems with men. 

We lose them in the snows of time to meet in Heaven again. 

Our gratitude for blessings great we thread on passing air 

Dear Lord of hosts ! dear Lord of love, our thanks are every where I 

We feel Thy watchfulness and care. Thy mercy when we err, 

Thy omnipresence, the rewards Thou doth administer. 

Our ancestors were safe with Thee upon the ocean wide 

Before the steamships plowed the main or wrestled with the tide. 

Our love for Thee, our pride in them, we blend together here 

And thank Thee we were spared to see this Bi-Centennial year. 

O I may our State grow worthier still of vast and full increase, 

'Till, all wrong thrown aside, she wears the rose ot righteous peace ! 

SAMUEL J. LEYICK, of Philadelphia, then addressed the audi, 
ence as follows: 

Friends and Citizens of Chester: 

It is very meet that here in this Meeting House of the Religious 
Society of Friends, should be commemorated the ceremonies attend- 
ant upon the arrival of William Penn and his friends in North Ame- 
rica, for it is reasonable to suppose that here they first met, pub- 
licly, together to worship Almighty Grod and reverently to acknowl- 
edge thanks to Him, for their safe arrival in the "Land of Promise" 



Friends and the Bi-CentennioL 251 



smd their escape from the pestilence that "walketh in darkness," 
and the dangers of storm and tempest. 

It is well for us to have these occasions. They are not new in the 
world's history. The Israelites commemorated by Holy Feasts 
their Passover and their exodus from the "=Land of Bondage." And 
shall not we, the descendants of an equally worthy race, have our holy 
days and feasts commemorative of the Lord's doings for us; especi- 
ally in moving our Fathers to come to this goodly land, and bequeath- 
ing it to us, for an inheritance — especially as it marks an important 
era in the world's history, the planting of a colony on the shores of 
the New World, second in point of time, and that only a few years 
subsequent to the first settlement at Burlington, N J., in the year 
1676 — wherein were established principles and forms of government, 
which were new and untried, not only of a civil, but of a religious 
character, and which in their several particulars are acknowledged, 
and under which, not only the two millions of people who reside in 
our own State, but the fifty millions that inhabit the United States 
of North America, live in the peaceful enjoyment of, and now have 
the opportunity of enjoying Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happi- 
ness, with none to make them afraid. 

These sturdy pioneers and men of peace with that eminent 
philanthropic lawgiver and Christian minister at their head, having 
failed to obtain in their native land a hearing and recognition of 
the principles that they believed themselvescalled to present to the 
world, and having suffered numerous persecutions and cruelties im- 
posed on them and looking to the benefits of cheir posterity, in the 
inspiration that pressed itself upon them, were willing to leave 
their homes — many of them reared in afiluence — and friends, and 
all that was dear by ties of kindred, to begin life anew on the shores 
of the New World, even though inhabited by the wild Indians of 
the forest, and there to establish a government, subdue the wilder- 
ness and to present the religion of their Lord and Master in such a 
form and under such surroundings as was denied to them in the land 
of their Fathers. 

Before alluding to the landing of William Penn and his friends 
on the shores of the Delaware, it may not be uninteresting to men- 
tion some of the early events connected with the discovery and set- 
tlements along the shores of this historic river. In doing so I must 
needs present much that has been collated from the writings of 
the past. 

The supposed discoverer of the Delaware was Lord De La Warr, 
from whom the name is derived. This right of discovery, however, 
was resisted by the Dutch, who called it the "South" river, and 
made early settlements on its shores. At the same time the Swedes, 
(as far back as 1651,) made settlements also, and for many years ex- 
ercised their authority along its banks, as well as the Schuylkill, 
having erected forts and carried on quite an extensive trade with 



252 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



the Indians. The Governor was named Printz, who erected a fort 
on Tinicum Island, near the mouth of the Schuylkill and we are told 
that "Printz Hall," on Tinicum Island was, at that time, the "(Jap- 
itol" of this noble principality. Beside the fort, New Gottenberg, 
on tliat islandj and another not far off Elsingborg, at the mouth of 
Salem creek, and still another, Fort Christiana, were the strong- 
holds, whereby the Swedish Governor overawed the natives of the 
country and kept out intruders. 

The Dutch, however, never forgot their claims by right of prior 
discovery to the "South" river, and the beautiful region watered by 
its many affluents. "Hudde," from his fort a mile below Gloucester" 
Point, could watch the growth and progress of the Swedes, and ob- 
ject to their occupation of territory belonging to them. 

The rivalry and jealousy between the Dutch and Swedes tor pos- 
session of this fruitful country, was only held within bounds by fear 
of the English, and it was agreed between Stuyvesant, the Dutch 
Governor, on the Hudson, and Printz, the Swedish (Tovernor, on the 
Delaware, that they should not engage in hostilities, but act a& 
friends and allies. This condition of things did not last long, for 
a short time after a Swedish Ship of War, sailed up the Delaware 
and demanded the surrender of the Dutch fort. The Commander 
said : "What can I do ? There is no powder." 

Again, the Dutch hearing of what had taken place, the Governor — 
Stuyvesant — sent a fleetof seven vessels from New />msterdam,(now 
New York) with six or seven hundred men, who attacked the Swe- 
dish fort at Christiana, at the mouth of the Brandywine. A siege was- 
commenced which lasted twelve days. But little fighting was done. 
Only a few shots were exchanged, the time being occupied in mak- 
ing negotiations — (much to their credit). The Dutch prevailed. 
Articles of capitulation were signed, all in the interest of the Dutch. 
"This was the end of Swedish rule in America." Many of the Swedes 
remained along the banks of the Delaware and did much to develop, 
by their industry and thrift, the best resources of that fertile region. 
The new possessors, the Dutch, made vigorous efforts to colonize the 
country, and several expeditions were made, but were prevented by 
loss of ships, sickness^ etc., and thus their sanguine anticipations of 
planting colonies on the South river were never fulfilled. It would 
appear that this fertile region was to be the home of Englishmen, 
and a colony was to be planted to present such thoughts and views 
of government, as would in their development, lay the foundation 
for rearing the grandest, most humane and enlightened system of 
government, that is known in the world's history. 

We now turn to the events which are directly connected with the 
subject of my address, the landing of William Penn. 

The causes that led to the planting of this Colony grew out of one 
of the most interesting periods of English history. The effort of 
Charles I. to make secure the Crown, by an assumption of power 



Friends and the Bi-Cfntennial. 253 



which n )t eviin tho pri Is of Henry VIII. ha:l clai iie I, ha 1 en lei in 
failure. England was comp irativeiy at peace, but violence an I strife, 
contention and sedition marked this peculiar epoch. Keheious fa- 
naticism was one of tne features of this period. The strupgles of 
the Cavaliers and the Eoundheads, aroused feelings which were 
personil and bitter. "Families were divided among themselves, 
and every man was in arms against his neighbor." 

Thus this struggling, surging tide of thought on religious subjects, 
went on lor years. The Englishman of that day, [1650] free Irom 
political tyranny from within, would not brook even the sem- 
blance of interference in religious matters from without. But in the 
fierce controversies of Englishmen with each other, liberty of con- 
science meant to the zealous theologian of that day, when all men 
claimed to be theologians, only, the rights of all other men, to yield 
their own opiydons and agree with him. 

"It was soon observed that the sincere bigotry of the Roman Catho- 
lics and the proud intolerance of the English Churchmen, had only 
given place to a fervent, but narrcw piety, wdiich like them, Avould 
brook no opposition, mistook differences of opinion for hostility, 
and watched all other creeds with a jealous and unchristian eye. 
Forgetful of the truth that all cannot think alike : mixing essentials 
with non-essentials in blind confusion, and armed with the cant and 
loose learning of the day, men went forth to controversy as the 
Knights errant of an earlier and more chivalric, but not more zea- 
lous age, went forth to battle Each sect became a political party 
and every party a political sect. Each, in its turn, according to its 
power, persecuted the other, and all united to persecute the Quakers." 

It was in this age and stage of English history that William Penn 
was born and educated, for he was an educated man, his position 
and his father's wealth gave him the opportunity of storing his mind 
with knowledge, such as the schools of that day afforded. It is 
scarcely necessary for me to occupy your time in dwelling on the 
ancestry of William Penn, as historians have placed it on record. 
But I would remark that he was the son of Admiral Sir William 
Penn, a distinguished naval officer of Great Britain. A family that 
had preserved an honorable station and record for fourteen genera- 
tions His son, of whom )ve are speaking, was born October M, 
1644. of a pious and high minded mother. It was to her early 
training and thoughtful religious care, that Penn owed that element 
of character which marked his after life. 

It would appear from the records that it was near the thirty-eighth 
anniversary of his birth, that Penn first landed on our shores, in 
the very meridian of his life, with a heart and mind cultivated, 
chastened and fitted to perform the great work of building a Com- 
monwealth and be the Law Uiver, not only of his own colony, but 
in his wisdom, framing a code of laws founded on such enlarged 
views of justice, equity and truth, that they became the source from 



254 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



whence were taken, nearly a century afterwards, the leading princi- 
ples that have become the foundation on which this Nation has built 
her temple of Liberty, Equality and Justice. 

Penn inherited from his father a claim against the Crown for 
arrears of pay and for various loans to the Admiralty, amounting 
in lt)81 to j£l 6,000 sterling. Penn proposed to the Government to 
liquidate this debt by a grant of laud to him in America. This 
was strongly opposed by the Privy Council, but the Duke of York 
favored the petition, and Penn, who was skilled in the methods of 
Courts, carefully waited, still pressing his claim, till the King, de- 
sirous of ridding himself of so great a debt, with an empty treasury, 
thought favorably of transferring unto him lands in the western 
wilderness in liquidation of the debt. The Lords' Committee on 
Colonies and the Board of Trade, were quite contemptuous over the 
idea of establishing over Indians and amidst foreign rivals, a sect 
of non-resistants. Penn ultimately prevailed and a charter, with 
specifications and boundaries, was signed March 4, 1681, In con- 
sideration of two beaver skins annually and a fifth part of all the 
gold and silver that might be mined, a territory of forty thousand 
square miles was awarded to him by the King, who gave the name 
of Pennsylvania to the new grant, in honor of Sir William Penn. 
"Penn desired it should be called New Wales, as his family origi- 
nated in that country, and used every effort to have it changed, but 
the King was inexorable and said, "I am Grod-father to the territory 
and will bestow a name." 

Shortly after Penn secured his title from the King, he made deeds 
to many of his friends and those desiring to emigrate to the new 
colony, and some of them arrived as early as 1681. Three vessels 
came over in that year. It had always been his object to live in 
his Province and manage his affairs. When the ship in which he 
was to embark was nearly ready, he requested an audience with the 
King. Said King Charles, "It will not be long before I hear that 
you have gone into the savages' war kettle. What is to prevent it ?" 
"Their own inward light," said Penn. "Moreover, as I intend equi- 
tably to buy their lands, I shall not be molested." "Buy their 
lands! Why? Is not the whole land mine"?" "No, Your Majesty. 
We have no right to their land ; they are the original occupants of 
the soil." "What ! have I not the right of discovery ?" "Well just 
suppose that a canoe full of savages should by some accident dis- 
cover Great Britain, would you vacate or sell 1" The King was as- 
tonished at the retort and no less at the policy which soon bore such 
durable fruit. 

After his visit to the King, and a day passed with his family in 
devout exercises and domestic converse, on September 1st, 1682, 
he set sail in the ship "Welcome," with a hundred passengers, 
nearly all of whom were Friends from his own county, Sussex. 
After an unpropitious voyage, they landed on the banks of the Del- 



Friends and the Bi- Centennial. 255 



aware, just Two Hundred years ago. The Dutch and Swedes gave 
the heartiest welcome to the new Governor. His first act was to 
naturalize all these inhabitants of the Province. They were duly 
summoned to the Court House, and he addressed them on the true 
nature and functions of government. The first session lasted four 
days. He adopted the rule among the speakers (perhaps it would 
be well if some legislatures would adopt the same) that none speak 
but once before the question is put, nor after but once. Penn pre- 
sided. No four days were ever more harmoniously spent in laying 
the foundations of society. 

Having thus secured proprietary jurisdiction he issued a liberal 
advertisement of the inducements for emigration : 

"He declared among other things that he wished to establish a 
just and righteous government in his Province, that others might 
take example by it. That there was not room enough in England 
for such a holy experiment. Grovernment is a part of religion it- 
self. A thing sacred in its institution and end. Any government 
is free to the people under it, whatever be the frame where the law- 
rules and the 'people are a party to those laws/' Governments 
depend upon men, not men upon governments. 

His new code recognized liberty of conscience. All persons ac- 
knowledging the One Eternal God, living peaceably and justly were 
not to be molested or prejudiced in matters of faith and worship. 
He went further than this. He added that "nobody shall be com- 
pelled at any time to frequent or maintain any religious worship, 
place or ministry whatsoever. Only murder and treason were to be 
punished with death." That, at least, was insisted on by Chief 
Justice North. But during the administration and life of Penn, no 
gallows was erected in his Province. He said that prisons should 
be schools of reformation and education, that litigation ought to give 
way to some regular appointed arbitration. That an oath was a su- 
perfluity. So also were cock-pits, bull bating, card playing, theatres 
and drunkenness. Lying was punishable as a crime. This was strik- 
ing at the root of the matter for all nations from the earliest time 
have acknowledged that "a lie is the parent of a horde of vices." 
Trial by jury was to be established and in all cases which involved 
an Indian, the jury must be composed of six whites and six In- 
dians, and no planter was to take the law in his own hands, though 
he felt aggrieved by an Indian, but apply to a magistrate and he 
was to confer with the Indian's chief. The person of the Indian 
was declared sacred. 

Such was the man and such were the characters of the Founder 
of our State. 

Permit me to close my remarks by quoting a portion of the elo- 
quent address delivered by the eminent Deponceau at the 140th 
anniversary of the landing of William Penn at Philadelphia, at a 
meeting called to organize a society to commemorate the landing 



256 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



of William Penn, held at the old house of Peiin in "Letitia Court," 
as it was then called. 

He said: "We feel his spirit in the atmosphere we breathe; we 
seek in every nook and corner of it for some trace of the illustrious 
man; we see, in imagination, the spot where he used to sit, while 
dictating laws to a virtuous and happy people; we have a right to 
fancy we are sitting in the same place where he used to take his 
frugal repast. If the souls of the blest can look down from Heaven 
on the spots of this earth that were once dear to them, this meet- 
ing must be a pleasing spectacle to our sainted patriarch. 

"A beneficent Providence permits, from time to time, the ap- 
pearance on earth of one of those privileged mortals whose mind's 
being infused with a more than ordinary portion of celestial fire, 
affords the strongest proof of the Divine origin of our species, and 
of the imperishable nature of the human soul. But men of this 
description are very rare, and whenever they appear they are either 
a scourge or a blessing to mankind For to them it is given, no 
doubt, for wise purposes to ruio the destiny of nations by an irre- 
sistible ascendancy of a powerful mind. The fame of such a man 
is a crown of glory to the country to which he belongs; therefore, 
every nation strives to trace its origin to some great and distin- 
guished character. 

"We are certain that we are acting in unison with the popular 
feeling of this enlightened State, when we meet together to give a 
public testimony of our respect for the memory of William Penn, 
and to commemorate his first landing on our shores with the worthy 
companions of his labors. By this we not only pay a just debt of 
gratitude, but we raise and exalt the character and dignity of our 
own State, which came into existence, rose and flourished under the 
auspices of that great man. If the citizens of Massachusetts have 
just cause to be proud of their Pilgrims, whose landing on their 
shores they annually celebrate with a solemnity worthy of the oc- 
casion, how much more have we not reason to pride ourselves on 
our own Pilgrims and their illustrious leader, whose fame is only 
bounded by the extremities of the earth, and what greater name 
can we select as a rallying point for Pennsylvanians than that of 
William Penn"? It is only to be regretted that it has not been done 
sooner, but that may be accounted for from various motives. But 
while, as citizens of this empire, we pay a deserved tribute to the 
illustrious men whom our Union has produced, while every revolv- 
ing year sees us commemorate with festivity and song the day 
which gave birth to a Washington, and while the echo of the ac- 
clamations with which we have but a few days since greeted the 
great and good Lafayette has not yet ceased to reverberate, why 
should we be forgetful of that admirable man to whom, as a State, 
we are indebted for our political existence, of that sage, who, by 
the unanimous voice of mankind, has long since been ranked with 



Friends and the Bi-Centennial. 251 



Numa and Confucious, and with the greatest among the legislators 
of ancient or modern times? 

"Surely it cannot be said that we do not duly appreciate his 
merits; that we do not venerate his memory; that we are not sensi- 
ble of the immense benefits that we have received at his hands, and 
of the honor that we derive from being entitled to call him peculiar- 
ly our own. Let us not doubt, therefore, that the example that we 
set will hereafter be regularly and extensively followed, and that 
this day will every year be set apart by every true Pennsylvanian 
for the commemoration of the first landing on our shores of William 
Penn and his virtuous followers." 

The speaker continued his address, without notes, for some time, 
presenting to his hearers the importance of maintaining the same 
principles that were so successfully established by the great Founder, 
and to do this we must, like Imn, submit ourselves to be guided 
and directed by the same Almighty power, even "Christ Jesus, the 
True Light, that eulighteneth every man that cometh into the 
world." "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach 
to any people." 

MARY P. FAWKES, of West Grove, Pa., read the following 
selections, compiled for the occasion : 

Dear friends, we have met on this bright autumn day, 
A tribute of love to our hero to pay; 
And as we have gathered from far and from near, 
I trust each will feel 'tis good to be here. 

Like pilgrims we come and gather around 
The home of our fathers, to us hallowed ground, 
For this place is our Mecca, this spot is the shrine. 
The altar on which to lay giits, yours and mine. 

Let our gifts be the symbols of honor to those 

Who first 'neath these shades sought peace and repose. 

Who suffered with bravery the truth to uphold: 

To whom freedom of conscience was better than gold 

When the heart of George Fox was touched, as with fire. 

He hastened to Prelate and Priest to inquire 

The way of Salvation, but nought could he find 

That brought rest to his soul, or gave peace to his mind. 

Then his spirit, enshrouded in shadows of night, 
Was quickly illumined by the true inward light, 
When he clearly discerned he must closely abide 
With the spirit of truth — hence his teacher and guidar. 

Then gathered about him such truth-seeking men 
As EUwood and Pennington, Barclay and Penn; 
They founded a sect, and we freely must own 
We are reaping rich fruit from the seed they have sown. 



258 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



The hand of oppression soon on them was laid, 
But from duty none shrank, not one heart was afraid; 
They were true to their faith, with united accord, 
Their trust was reposed in the arm of the Lord. 

'Twas trust ne'er betrayed, for His arm was their stay. 
His finger it was that oft pointed the way; 
His voice that gave comfort, they knew it was He, 
Whose voice stilled the waves of the wild Galilee. 

His spirit moved all o'er the scene, where darkened waters flow. 
And on its face the power Divine was seen in light to glow; 
And then it spread o'er all the earth and tripped the billows crest. 
Upheaved the granite mountains and gave to life a zest. 

• 

The light that dawned on Fox's mind illumined all his way. 
And o'er his prison walls had shed his bright and peaceful ray: 
Clothed with this light ?enn, too, had found no power could withstand 
The simple truths which he proclaimed throughout his native land. 

And thousands left the outward church where priest by man ordained. 

Proclaimed a ritualistic creed that could not be sustained 

By those who, by the spirit led, Ijelieved that He alome, 

Who crowned all true assemblies, could make His presence known. 

And in that light these champions moved! true soldiers of the cross. 
And gathered many to the truth, despite their worldly loss. 
Across the sea on German shores the truth spread far and wide, 
As they pointed to the higher law — the spirit's surest guide. 

Penn found the fields already white, the harvest nigh at hand. 
To scatter seeds of righteousness broadcast throughout the land; 
And many gathered at his call, of high and low degree. 
To listen to the truth first taught on the shores of Galilee. 

Though worldly men had sought to crush beneath a lifeless form 
The truth proclaimed on Olivet by Him who ruled the storm. 
And, like the power that reigned o'er all when Rome possessed the land, 
They tried by prison walls to crush the little martyr band: 

Although they could not raise the stake, nor fire the faggot pile. 
They sought to crush the light of truth from out Britannia's isle, 
The humble followers of Him who had no place to rest 
Left their humble homes behind them for the forest in the west, 

Where they could build an altar that should forever be 
A shrine on which the human soul could have the conscience free. 
And no one in that forest land to priest-craft should atone, 
But might worship God in spirit and worship Him alone. 

The Red men in their wilderness bade them welcome to their shore — 
Made a simple treaty without oath which bound them evermore; 
No force was used to bind them, but the word between them spoken 
Was the simple law of justice! a law that ne'er was broken. 

In this land o'er the sea, Penn was founding a State, 
An asylum for all, both the poor and the great; 
Two centuries have seen its prosperity grow 
And millions to-day own the debt that they owe. 

Let us ever step forward and mark on our shield 
The symbol of faith to the Christian revealed. 
In place of the sword, that its power may decrease, 
For our crest we'll have only the emblem of peace. 



Friends and the Bi-Cevtennial. 259 



Let us strive, as our fathers before us have striven, 
To win and to merit the favor of Heaven, 
To be true to our fai'-.h. May we never neglect 
To cherish the good and the evil reject. 

Let us learn well the lessons their living has taught, 
Let us thank the dear Lord for the good they have wrought, 
Let us cherish the virtues their memory inspires, 
. That the world may declare we are worthy our sires. 

HENRY S. KENT, of Hockessin, Delaware, then read an origi- 
inal poem: 

He came, he saw, he conquered with a sway 
Grander than Caesar's on his grandest day: 
His loins were girded for a nobler fight 
Than ever graced the tilt of feudal knight. 
The trophies of his conquest richer far 
Than Alexander ever brought from war. 
He heard deep voices calling from on high 
And quickly answered, here, O Lord ! am I; 
I drop these carnal weapons from my side, 
For in Thy strength I safely shall abide, 
I bow no more before these man-made kings, 
Henceforth I put away all childish things. 

He landed on this shore, and with him came 

Such blessings ab immortalize his name. 

He spread amid the forest wild and chill ^ 

The gospel of glad tidings and good will. 

Lo! how around his manly form they press, 

The untutored children of the wilderness; 

Drawn by some magic force or sweet command. 

Which all could feel but none could understand, 

And opening wide the treasures of his heart 

Gave, and received, from the Diviner part. 

Waved with love's wand the savage soul aside, 

And on the "angel heart" of man relied. 

Unlocked the hidden keys, that only move 

To music, at the touch of faith and love; 

And 'neath the elm tree's friendly shadows, made 

A covenant that never was betrayed. 

And taught the lesson we so slowly learn , 

That like from like will evermore return: 

That he who sows the whirlwind, reaps the storm. 

Who scatters joy, shall gather sunshine warm. ., 

That even the rudest soul Ihat God has made 

Is with his holy nature underlaid. 

In man, in brute, in plant, in earth and air 

God leaves himself for witness everywhere. 

He felt the wisdom of the Prophet's words, 

"The earth with all its fullness is the Lord's." 

He came, he saw, he conquered. Where had stood' 

The savage wigwam in the darksome wood 

A splendid city rose at his command, 

To-day a glory of this western land. 

With marts of trade, and parks and gardens fair. 

Blue bordered by the noble Delaware. 

Here on old Upland too, where now we stand, 

We see the impress of his shaping hand, 

And hear, even yet, the echo of his voice, 

Christening these early children of his choice. 



260 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Two hundred years blot many a memory; 
Two hundred years are naught to such as he, 
His name is written on our fields and groves, 
Where still we dream his i,tately spirit moves. 
His thoughts still linger in our written laws. 
His words respoken, champion our cause. 
The simple faith and worship that he loved, 
Is still within our heart of hearts approved. 
The path of duty he so bravely trod. 
Leading through crosses to the Crown of God. 
Laying the vanities of life aside. 
Taking the light within for guide. 
Shoals under foot, and thorns upon his head, 
Exiled from home, to loathsome dungeons led, 
Is still a story that we love to tell, 
And children yet unborn shall learn it well. 

He built and kept a state, upon a plan 

Till then unthought of and untried by man, 

The astonished nations turned their eyes and gazed, 

Some archly smiled and others stood amazed. 

A State it was whose corner stone was laid 

In justice and whose every stone was made 

Plumb to the line of truth, that could not move, 

Set in the cement of fraternal love 

And, grandly midst the warring nations, stood 

This peaceful state of Penn unstained by blood. 

One only state the whole wide world could count, 

That yet had tried the Gospel of the Mount. 

.4nd did it fail ? Nay never while his hand 

Was at the helm, his voice in the command. 

Two generations came and passed away 
Before the advent of that evil day. 
Then in the place of that high ruler stood 
Men of the vengeful spirit, men of blood ; 
Unfitted for a place of trust so high. 
Let fall this star of promise from our sky ; 
Failure ! Nay, never till the soul of man 
Shall be remodeled on another plan. 
The law of love is not a mere device 
Framed in a senate, purchased for a price. 
Suited to human need a little while, 
Good for to-day, to-morrow out of style — 
But God's Eternal Power that cannot fail. 
That ^as, and is, and ever shall prevail. 

Illustrious sage, thy spirit still is here. 

We feel thy presence in our atmosphere. 

For lo 1 the Lord's true prophet never dies — 

From the deep earth immortal voices rise. 

The holy Christ is slain, and it may stay 

In a closed sepulchre perchance a day ; 

But soon the martyred truth shall rise again, 

And eat and drink an honored guest with men. 

Already 'midst the clang of strife we hear 

Deep undervoices sounding rich and clear, 

Bidding the listening nations pave the way 

For the incoming of a better day. 

When war no more shall raise his bloody hands, 

But white-winged peace shall hover o'er the lands ; 

When in the court of nations, states decide 



Friends and the Bi-Centennial. 261 



To arbitrate their claims, and so abide 
When justice, truth and love shall rule alone 
And God's great families shall be as one. 

And it were shame on his memorial day 

A single warlike emblem to display. 

Let every martial sound and symbol cease, 

And let the pageant show the arts of peace-; 

Each industry its finest triumph bring, 

Let spindles hum, and ceaseless hammers ring; 

Let each brave workman show his brawny hand. 

The bone and sinew of our growing land ; 

Light up the streets with bright electric fire. 

But let the flash of powder all retire ; 

'If any ensign to the breeze we throw. 

Let it be spotless as the driven snow. 

Peace, Justice, Progress, are the words to say 

With emphasis on his memorial day. 

And let us trust, the heavenly bread he cast 

Upon our waters may return at last. 

Bringing the nations nourishment and health, 

Replacing vice with virtue, waste with wealth, 

Strength'ning the bonds of human brotherhood. 

Closing forevermore the reign of blood. 

His purer, wiser statesmanship renewed. 

That simply sought for all the highest good. 

Our jurists tutored in a higher school. 

Our statutes fashioned by the Golden Rule, 

Works meet for Heaven upon the earth be done. 

The higher and the lower law made one. 

May his large sacrifice for human weal 

Inflame our spirits with a finer zeal 

To do our work while it is yet our day. 

And walk where Truth's stern finger points the way. 

Not stepping feebly in the tracks he trod, 

But walking firmly in our hght from God, 

Copying no man as he did well express, 

Save in the matter of true faithfulness. 

This caution from his sainted lips we hear : 

" Mind ye your light, for God to each is near. 

His revelation as directly given 

As in the very light and heat of Heaven, 

No man-made priest has ever reconciled 

The Heavenly Parent and the Earthly Child. 

Let modes of worship change, or pass away, 

They are not vital and they will not stay. 

But cherish ever with a jealous care 

The basal structure of our house of prayer, 

The faith in simple goodness, and the light 

Within the soul, to lead our steps aright. 

The largest liberty to seek, and find 

The mission of our hand, and heart, and mind," 

True to his light he won this honored place 
Among the benefactors of his race, 
Nor for the age in which he lived alone, 
But for all coming time his work was done. 
His name is written with the Angel's pen 
In living letters, in the hearts of men, 
And still while generations come and go, 



262 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



His name and fame perennial shall grow. 
Peace, Truth, Love, Justice, will be lovely when 
Our children's children meet to honor Penn. 
These are enduring things and meant to stay. 
Which Bi-Centennials cannot wear away. 

Brief and appropriate addresses were made by Dr. Elwood Har- 
vey and Allen Flitcraft, of Chester, Pa., Alfred H. Love, Presi- 
dent of the Universal Peace Union, Samuel S. Ash and T. Elwood 
Longshore, of Philadelphia. 

After a short season of silence, with feelings of gratitude and 
thankfulness to the Griver of every good and perfect gift, the inte- 
resting and profitable occasion closed. 



2he Celebration. 263 



MONDAY, OCTOBER 2;, 1882. 



THE MORNING. 

THE day fixed for the celebration of the Bi-Centenary of the Land- 
ing of William Penn in Chester, was ushered in soon after mid- 
night by the ringing of all the bells in the city, each bell giving two 
hundred strokes. The morning was cloudy and threatening but as 
the day advanced the weather changed for the better. The city put 
on its gala dress, at an early hour the houses being handsomely dec- 
orated and flags flying from every available point. The Histori- 
cal Committee had designated all the important historical sites with 
banners, on which the name and date of construction were plainly 
marked, while at the Landing place a staff*, eighty feet high, car- 
ried the American colors, and it was evident from the beginning that 
the citizens had given themselves up heartily to the enjoyment of the 
great anniversary. All the mills and industrial establishments in 
the city and many of those in the county were closed, and, as a con- 
sequence, people had little else to do than to participate in the ex- 
ercises of the day. Residents of the city and county, and hundreds 
of visitors, who had arrived on Saturday, to spend the Bi-Centen- 
nial season with friends, thronged the streets long before the hour 
for the celebration to begin, and each incoming train, from the 
north and south, brought thousands to the city. 

As early as eight o'clock people began to assemble in the vicinity 
of Front and Penn streets, on the spot on which Penn actually land- 
ed, October 28th, 1682, and where a representation of that landing 
was to be given as nearly as it could be reproduced. 

A half hour before the appointed time— 9.30 o'clock — for the ex- 



264 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

ercises to take place the vicinity was crowded. Thousands of peo- 
ple had gathered there, on the streets, on house tops, on porches, 
on fences, on freight cars, in Charles D. Pennell's lumber yard, on 
trees, and the wharves along the river. The river itself was gay 
Avith steamers, tugs, sail and small boats of every description, and 
the Revenue Cutter Hamilton, brought down from Philadelphia 
a large party of distinguished citizens of the State. 

As the large, high sided, full bottomed yawl boat came up the 
river, rowed by six sturdy seamen, appropriately dressed, with the 
representatives of Penn and his friends standing in the stern, the 
excitement visibly increased, and as it headed for the landing place,^ 
amid the ringing of bells, the sounding of whistles and the music of 
bands, the people on shore cheered and crowded forward to witness 
the landing, which was successfully effected with no accident or 
delay to mar the picture. 

William Penn was represented by John J. Hare, of Chester, and 
the other characters were supported by members of the Chester 
Dramatic Association and the organizations of Red Men. The en- 
tire scene, which followed the landing, was very well acted and the 
participants in the mimic scene never once forgot the characters they 
had taken. All was quiet and dignified and this portion of the 
day's exercises, like all the rest, passed off admirably. 

Penn with his companions, Richard Townsend, (R. P. Wilson:) 
Evan Oliver, (William Irving;) John Stackhouse, (JohnF. Wright;) 
William Bradford, (P. E. Reiley;) Nicholas Wahn, (J. H. Wilson;) 
and the Master of the "Welcome," Robert Greenaway, (William P. 
Mason;) landed and were met by William Markham, (Vniliam P. 
Ladomus;) and the resident English Friends; Robert Wade, (Wm. 
H. Schureman;) Jotin Sharpless, (Joseph Hinkson;) Robert Pear- 
son, (Joseph Martin;) and the Scotchman, James Sandelands, (Wm. 
Ewing.) A group in the rear was composed of Swedes and Dutch. 
Charles Jansen, (Moses Hewitt;) Neals Mattson, (George Compton;) 
Johan Stille, (William Hinkson;) Jurian Kyn, (Samuel Wheaton;) 
Neals Larson, (George Morris;) Hans Volsen, (Samuel Jones.) 

As Penn landed Markham stepped forward and greeted him as 
follows : 

"Friend William, I welcome thee to thy new possessions. It has 
pleased God, through his instrument, Charles, to give to thee and 



Ihe Celebratwn. 265 



thy fellows a fair and rich land and to bring thee in safety to the 
end of thy perilous voyage and to the fruition of thy labors. Thou 
art surely welcome among us," 

Pemi replied: "I thank thee, friend William, for thy kindly 
greeting and welcome to this far land. Truly it hath pleased G-od 
to bring our ships safely to these pleasant shores. Sometimes we 
thought we might scarcely reach them, for the hand of death hath 
been busy amongst us, and the pestilence hath taken home many 
of our number. Is it well with thee, friend William, and with 
those of our faith, who have crossed before us; I have heard, as 
thou knowest, somewhat from our friend George Fox of the country 
to which I am now come and of the bright future it holds out for 
those of our faith; and here, too, are some of thy old friends wait- 
ing to greet thee." 

Markham turned and greeted the associates of Penn cordially 
and by name, but with grave courtesy. All the proceedings were 
marked by deliberation, a dignified demeanor and a subdued man- 
ner, while the warmth of the meeting ©f old friends was also borne 
in mind, Penn gazed around him until Markham returned to his 
side, when he said: 

"And now, friend William, do thou make me known to these 
friends who have gathered to meet me." 

Robert Wade and Pearson then pressed forward to meet Penn, 
whom they had known in England. 

Then Markham introduced Sandelands, Jurian Kyn, Johan Stille, 
Neals Mattson, Neals Larson and Charles Jansen, &c., who ap- 
proached and met Penn with an appearance of warmth, but evi- 
dently with some uneasiness, till Penn spoke, and as he continued 
their demeanor changed to one of sincere welcome: 

Penn: "These then are the men who first braved the dangers and 
toils of settlement in this far land. They are welcome to me and 
we may hope that they may prove our good allies and neighbors. 
As for our part sure it is that we shall not seek aught but amity 
and brotherly love. It is but right they should reap the harvest 
where they have sown with so much toil and pain, and their lands 
and houses shall be confirmed to them, and in no wise shall they 
be disturbed in their rights by us. Their possession shall be as- 
sured to them in full freedom as much as if they were of our own 
granting. We will ask for nothing but their love and brotherly 
help." 

Then Markham, after a short pause, said: "But, friend William, 
here are others for thee to meet. That people who of right owned 
the fair hills and valleys of the great river. Yonder sits their wise 
and good chief, Tamanand. It seems but fitting that thou shouldst, 



266 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



as soon as may be, greet these warriors of the Lenni Lenape, for 
they are curiously jealous of the vanities of form and ceremojny, 
and deem no king even should take precedence of their great chief.." 
Penn: "So it ought to be, and I will straightway follow thee, for 
I long to see the man of whose bravery, virtue and wisdom even 
we in England have heard." 

The entire party then, Penn and Markham leading, followed im- 
mediately by the resident Friends and Penn's companions, and at a 
little distance by the other characters, including the seamen, walk- 
ed slowly to where Tamanand was sitting, surrounded by his noted 
chiefs. The other Indians gathered about in a circle. Penn seated 
himself on a stone opposite the chief. Then one of the younger 
chiefs rose slowly and with dignity spoke thus: 

"1 am called Bears Meat. I am not old. When I was a child 
the white man first came to this shore in his big canoe with wings. 
I have lived to see many things First came one tribe. They 
built forts an:l sometimes took our land. The hatchet was not al- 
ways buried. Sometimes it was very red. Then came Corlaer. 
They were just men. The chain was not often dull. There were 
few clouds between us. Then came the Yengese. The chain that 
Corlaer held they took. They, too, were just. The stranger was 
always welcome to the Lenni Lenape for the sake of Corlaer. We 
have been told that a great chief was coming He is here. It was 
whispered that he was a great and good and just man; a warrior 
whose words were not blown away about the Council fire. It is so; 
we can see it in his face: he Avill keep the chain bright. Here is 
Tamanand of many years. The Father of his people will welcome 
the stranger who comes as the friend of the Delawares." 

A short silence followed, after which Tamanand rose slowly and 
addressed Penn: 

"My young man has spoken truly. He is a wise chief. I am 
Tamanand of many years: the Father of the Delawares; the world 
rests upon ray turtle. When Tamanand was a little child there 
was no white man in the land. When the white man came he ^vas 
welcome. My people gave him venison and corn. The Great 
Spirit has brought this chief here. The Manitou of our Fathers is 
now among us listening to our words and looking at our hearts. 
This is not a Council. All should be said and thought for the best. 
Tamanand has always been the friend of the stranger. He cannot 
now make himself a liar. The Great White Chief is welcome. We 
have heard he is good and just. That is well. The Manitou loves 
just men. Tamanand had a vision many summers ago. He dream- 
ed he saw these hills and valleys covered with white men, many as 
the sand on the shore, but he saw no Lenape. At first his heart 



Ihe Celebration. 267 



-was hot within him; then it became as the heart of a little child. 
It was the will of the Manitou. The Lenape Avill go back to their 
homes, near the setting sun, when that time comes. The stranger 
is w^elcome. It is the wind of the Manitou that has blown his 
canoe to our shore. He is welcome." 

Tamanand then resumed his seat. A short silence followed, with 
gutteral murmurs of assent from the Indians, and then with a 
dignity equal to that of Tamanand, William Penn rose: 

Penn: ''It is pleasant to hear the words of wisdom and of peace 
from the lips of the old. Thy words, Tamanand, have gone deep 
into my heart; thou art a good and wise chief; the chain shall be 
kept bright; the hatchet shall be buried forever between me and 
thee; if the white man wishes for land to plant corn, he will come 
to thee and say: 'Give me land where thou wilt and I will pay 
thee.' It shall be justly done. The stranger shall not take that 
which is not his own. Thy treaties with Corlaer shall be as they 
have been. What Corlaer promised Ave will do. What the stranger 
needs he shall pay for, there shall be no cloud of unjust dealing 
between thee and me; only the broad sunshine of justice and peace. 
I, too, have looked far away into the dream world; into that land 
of clouds when you and I shall have passed away to the Happy 
Hunting Grounds, as thou wouldst term the Heaven of our God. 
I saw a great town where we now stand. I saw noble industries 
and broad farms about it. I saw countless ships at its wharves and 
strange forms of new devices which I could not understand. I saw 
a just and a free people honoring God and their own manhood. But 
I, too, saw none of thy people. Thou art right. When that time 
comes they will have gone back to their far off homes bearing gifts 
and kind words from their white brothers. That time has not yet 
come. Thou art the owner here. Thou hast welcomed us. For 
myself and these, my friends, I thank thee and thy people. God 
shall judge between us, if either wrong the other." 

Another murmur of approval from the Indians. Then Robert 
Wade approached and said: 

"Will it please thee, friend William, to eat thy food in my poor 
house? Thou shalt be right welcome. Thou and thy people." 

Penn: "1 am right willing to do so, friend Robert, and it is but 
right that we should seek refreshment for these weak bodies of 
ours. Lead thou the way and I shall follow." 

Then followed a courteous and dignified farewell to the Indians, 
Penn touching hands with the principal chiefs, and the whole party, 
headed by Penn and Wade, crossed to the site of the Essex House. 

The part of Tamanand was well taken by Arthur Martin, and 
that of Bears Meat by Henry Greenwood. The braves, all of whom 



268 Historical Sketoh of Chester, 

with their cMefs were in full Indian costume, were personated by 
Herbert Tunnicliffe, Terrill T. Williams, Henry P. Haney, John 
Coffin, James Thompson, C. George Hiorth, Eli M. Weest and 
Frazer S. Stanley. 

After this successful inauguration of the day the crowd made its 
way to the open lot, corner of Concord avenue and Second street, 
where the grand stand had been erected and seats for two thous- 
and public school children arranged on the two sides of the square 
fronting the stand, with a raised platform for the band, in the cor- 
ner of the square. The sight of those eager young faces of children,, 
dressed in holiday garb, with their school flags, badges and medals, 
was one that will not easily be forgotten, and the music of those 
hundreds of sweet young voices will long linger in the memory of 
those who listened. 

On the grand stand were a number of prominent citizens, includ- 
ing the invited guests from Philadelphia and elsewhere, and the civic 
dignitaries from surrounding cities. Among these were Governor 
Hoyt, Col. A. Wilson Norris, Adjutant General James W. Latta, 
Col. D. Stanley Hassinger, Col. Campbell Tucker, Chief Engineer 
Samuel L. Smedley, the Executive Committee of the Bi-Centennial 
Association, Captain Dean, U. S. E,. M.; Col. M. Richards Muckle, 
Major Charles K. Ide, President John McDonald, of the Produce 
Exchange, Frederick Lovejoy, Charles Lain, Carl Edelhein and S. J. 
Linch, Hugh J. Hamill, Galloway C. Morris, John E. Ford, Lewis 
Wiener and Alexander Barrows, of Baltimore. Mayor Barton, ex- 
Mayors Larkin and Forwood, Messrs. G. P. Denis and D. F. Hous- 
ton, Hons. William Ward and Robert Chadwick, Cols. W. C. Gray 
and P. M. Washabaugh, of Chester ; George E. Darlington, of Me- 
dia ; Hon. W. B. Waddell and Robert E. Monaghan, of West Ches- 
ter ; William Simpson, Benjamin Gartside, Samuel Riddle, Daniel 
C. Abrams, Samuel Lewis, Hon. John M. Broomall, George Broom- 
all, David S. Bunting, Charles Roberts, Hugh Shaw, John B. Roach, 
Abram Blakeley, Richard Miller, H. B. Black, Orlando Harvey, 
Revs. Thos. J. McCauley, Wm. J. Paxson, Henry Brown and others. 

The number of people assembled in the square and streets near 
by must have exceeded ten thousand. They thronged upon the 
ground, the fences and the porches of the neighboring dwellings, 
while all convenient windows and housetops were filled with expec- 



The Celebration. 269 

tant faces, and the trees and lamp-posts bore a large crop of the ubi- 
quitous small boy. 

The exercises began with some fine music by Oglesby's band of 
fifty pieces, stationed on the music stand, and when the last strains 
had died away, JAMES BARTON, Jr., Mayor of the City of Ches- 
ter, stepped forward and spoke as follows : 

"Benjamin Ferris, in a letter written by him December 31st, 1851, 
which letter is now in the possession of the Historical Society of 
Pennsylvania, refers to an old manuscript book or diary of Evan 
Oliver, one of the passengers on the ship 'Welcome,' in which is 
found the following passage: 'We came out of Radnorshire, in 
Wales, about the beginning of the 6th month, ( August ) 1682, and 
arrived at Upland, in Pennsylvania, in America, the 28th of the 
8th month, 1682.' 

"We know from William Penn's own manuscript that he was in 
the town of Upland the next day, namely the 29th. It is therefore 
probable that W illiam Penn landed in Upland, now Chester, on the 
28th. 

"By an Act of the English Parliament, passed in 1751, for equal- 
izing the style of computation of time with the other countries €*f 
Europe, eleven days were omitted from the calendar, and the legal 
year was made to begin on the first day of January, instead of the 
25th day of March. In consequence of the passage of that Act, the 
200th anniversary of the landing of Penn falls on the 7th of No- 
vember, 1882. 

"It may be asked why the citizens of Chester celebrate the land- 
ing on the 23d of October, fifteen days in advance of the admitted 
time. 

"Without entering into a discussion of the propriety or impro- 
priety of celebrating an event upon any other day than its anniver- 
sary, I may say that the date for this celebration was fixed at the re- 
quest of the Bi-Centennial Association of Pennsylvania. At a meet- 
ing of that association, held last May, in Philadelphia, a resolution 
was adopted requesting the people of Chester to observe the 23d 
of October, and off"ering their co-operation. They had fixed upon 
the week commencing October 22d for the general celebration, leav- 
ing Monday open for Chester, that the ceremonies might properly 
commence upon the spot where the landing actually occurred. We 
adopted the suggestion contained in their resolutions, deeming it ex- 
pedient that the celebrations in the two cities should be continuous 
and uninterrupted even by the interval of a few days. 

"For some reason best known to themselves, the gentlemen having 
in charge the details of the ceremonies on the 24th in Philadelphia, 
concluded to have a landing for themselves on that day, notwith- 
standing the fact that the first landing that William Penn ever made 
in their town was in 1683, when he went to Philadelphia, possibly 



270 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



on horseback, after having decided to change his seat of govern- 
ment from the former to the latter place. 

"As a natural sequence, the encouragement and co-operation as- 
sured to us by the State Association in its earlier history have not 
been extended by the subordinate officers, namely by those in whose 
power it has been recently to render substantial assistance without 
trouble to themselves, and without interference with their own na- 
val display designed to commemorate the landing of Penn — trom 
horseback, possibly — in their city in 1683. Therefore, while to-mor- 
row Philadelphia will indulge in a fiction of a Penn's Landing, Ches- 
ter to-day reproduces the counterpart of the original that history 
recognizes. The naval display which Ave had expected up to with- 
in a few days we could present to you as an interesting feature of 
the ceremonies in commemoration of the original landing, is denied 
us, while a large fleet is at this very moment lying quietly at anchor 
within a few miles of us; lacking only the consent of the gentlemen 
before refered to, to enable them to appear in the waters before our 
city. 

"To our visitors 1 desire to extend a cordial welcome. I trust 
that you may be interested in our exercises and that you may return 
to your homes without accident, and with a pleasant recollection of 
your visit among us." 

On the conclusion of this address the Rev. Henry Brown, Rector 
of St. Paul's Church, Chester, made the following prayer : 

"Almighty Grod, our Heavenly Father, who art the author and 
giver of all good things, we desire to bless Thee for -Thy merciful 
kindness towards us in the past and to pray that Thou wilt gra- 
ciously continue Thy goodness to us in the future ; that Thou wilt be 
with us as Thou wast with our fathers. 

"We thank Thee, Lord, for the good examples of all those, 
Thy servants, who having finished their course in faith, do now 
rest from their labors, especially for the good example and good 
deeds of Thy servant, the Proprietor and first Governor of this 
great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who two centuries ago land- 
ed upon these shores, and was enabled by Thy help to lay founda- 
tions deep and broad upon principles of truth, justice and peace 
for the maintenance of peace, for the maintenance of law and good 
Government, with equal rights for all, and that every man should 
have liberty to worship Thee according to the dictates of his OAvn 
conscience, with none to make him afraid. It is of such. Thou 
hast said, they shall be had in everlasting remembrance. We 
come to do honor to-day to the memory of William Penn in calling 
to mind his pure life, his faith in God, his wise, beneficent gov- 
ernment, and to thank Thee for the blessings we now enjoy through 
his instrumentality. Be with us in the exercises of this day. May 
we not fail into sin, or run into any kind of danger. 



The Celebration, 271 



"Bless our rulers — the President of these United States, the 
Governors of each State, our Senators and Representatives, the 
Legislators of the State of Pennsylvania, and all who bear office 
among us — may they be men fearing God and working righteous- 
ness. Direct them in all their doings with Thy most gracious favor 
and further them with Thy continual help. And graciously incline 
the hearts of all the people of our land to Thy fear and love, that 
it may be well with them in the land which Thou gavest unto their 
fathers, and when our work on earth is done receive us unto Thy 
kingdom in Heaven through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen." 

The school children then sang very sweetly and in good time the 
well known hymn, "America." The singing by two thousand of 
these little ones, under the able direction of Prof. John R. Sweney, 
and accompanied by Oglesby's band, was one of the most effective 
features of the day. 

After this Governor Hoyt was introduced to the assemblage and 
as soon as the applause which greeted his appearance subsided, 
made a brief address, in which he thanked the Committee for their 
invitation to be present and congratulated his hearers upon the pro- 
gress that had been made in the past two hundred years, at the 
same time expressing the conviction that the humanizing principles 
upon which Penn had founded this grand old Commonwealth had 
spread among the people of the different nationalities who made up 
its sturdy and industrious population and still had active existence. 

When the Governor had concluded his remarks the band gave a 
fine selection, and this was followed by an original poem by the 
Rev. SAMUEL PANCOAST, of Conshohocken M. E Church : 



With reverent steps we tread this ground, 
While sacred memories cluster round, 
And gather o'er historic lines, 
The past and present in our minds. 

Hail, sacred morn, whose rosy light 
Dawns on our land so rich and briglit, 
Where dwells the truths in hearts of men, 
Bequeathed us by our Founder Penn. 

Borne to this river's quiet side. 
By gentle winds and flowing tide. 
Was that true man, so good and great. 
Whose landing now we celebrate. 

A forest vast, stretched far away 
Beyond the hills of setting day,' 
Where treasures vast were locked in store 
Of mountain wood and buried ore. 

The Sylvan groves, without a bound, 
For which a name had not been found. 
This good man saw like parchment fair. 
And placed his name forever there. 



272 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



In honesty the bounds he laid 
With lines well drawn and clearly made, 
With treaty true and title sure. 
Should stand through centuries secure. 

He had not come in guest of wealth, 
The fruit of avarice, fraud and stealth, 
But to enrich all hearts and hands, 
Who sought a home within these lands. 

He had not come with cruel heart, 
To play with shame the Tyrant's part, 
But that in this domain should be 
The glorious reign of liberty. 

He left a land where men did groan 
Beneath the power of despotic throne, 
Where prisons dark and towers strong 
Were scenes of infamy and wrong. 

He taught that conscience should be free. 
And all mankind should equal be, 
Before that God, who rules o'er all 
With love alike to great and small. 

In prison cells he learned to prize 
The rights of all beneath the skies. 
And sought this land beyond the sea, 
Where men forever should be free. 

Like peaceful suns which rise to bless, 
And clothe the world with beauteous dress, 
So came this man to break the gloom. 
And make the desert sing and bloom. 

With head so wise, with heart so pure. 
He framed the laws that should endure. 
That truth and justice should prevail. 
And righteousness should never fail. 

No stars so bright had ever shone 
Around an earthly mon trch's throne. 
As gathered in the precepts rare 
In which his colony should share. 

Here patient toil rewards should gain 
And gather wealth from fertile plain. 
In peaceful homes the land abound 
And plenty everywhere be found. 

For dazzling court no place was made. 
For titled rank no plan was laid. 
But every man a sovereign born. 
Whom truth and virtue should adorn. 

No ranks of men, with burnished arms, 
To shelter men from fancied harms, 
Stood round this band of honest men, 
Who shared the faith of William Penn. 

The brotherhood of men they taught 
That war with cruelty was naught. 
And conquest higher they could show 
Without an arrow from the bow. 

No fettered slave among them stood 
And handed with ignoble blood, 
No unpaid toil they sought to gain, 
Secured by stripes or threats of pain. 

But every man by birth was free, 
Whate'er his clime or color be. 
And thus proclaimed no power can 
Give right to property in man. 

No one was forced by oath to say 
These truthful precepts they'd obey, 
For with the good there never needs 
An oath to bind to sacred deeds. 

We learn to-day from many a page 
Our progress made from age to age, 



The Celehraiion. 278 



•dince first our Fathers landed here, 
"Until this Bi-Centennial year. 

IFrom forest deep came fertile lields, 
Which year by year rich harvest yields, 
And mines of wealth which constant pour 
Their treasures vast in bounteous store. 

Wh^re then were wastes now cities stand, 
And bounteous towns dot all the land, 
And industry and watchful care 
Have scattered plenty everywhere. 

And science, too, her seat hath spread. 
And wisdom in her light doth tread, 
TJpon her record names now stand. 
The peers of any other land. 

And in these centuries which have gone 
What tongue can tell the labor done, 
Or what the progress mind hag made, 
'Or what the gathered stores of trade. 

How mines of wealth have been explored, 
How streams of oil like rivers poured, 
From mountain side to cities great, 
Throughout this grand and mighty State. 

The peace that early was bestowed 
Has found with us a safe abode. 
And yet we stood with courage brave, 
The wrong to crush, the right to save. 

The right to save the earth has drank 
The blood of men by rank in rank. 
And their brave deeds gave us renown 
At Brandy wine and Germantown. 

Along our valleys thick are spread 
The graves of our heroic dead, 
Whose sacred du.st we guard with care, 
And in whose fame we all do share. 

And step by step our Nation's power 
Has risen like a lofty tower, 
And spread an arch from sea to sea, 
"While Penn's great State has been the key. 

,And through the Nation's wondrous life, 
Of burdened cares and bitter strife. 
Our Keystone stood, with strength and grace. 
Which not a hand could e'er eflace- 

Now while the past we bid adieu, 
And to the future cast our view, 
Our vision sweeps the prospect bright, 
'That everywhere breaks on our sight. 

Our vast resources now revealed, 
Is pouring wealth from every field 
And causing rich supplies to come 
Around the hearth of every home. 

By products of our brain and hand 
We build our homes and till our land, 
By lightning, too, our letter write. 
And chase the darkness from the night, 

T'he near and distant now come nigh, 
While words o'er lengthened wires fly. 
And miles awav the listening ear, ",_ "j 

The words of love and profit hear. 

And where the ship once anchor cast, 
With wooden sides and slender mast, 
And from whose deck the little band 
Of Penn first looked upon this land, 

We build great ships of lengthened keel, 
With iron sides and ribs of steel, 
Whose giant prows can ever brave 
The greatest force of ocean's wave. 



Tf4 Historical Sketch of Chesten- 



What now is past so strange doth seem, 
As story told of fairy's dream. 
But coming men will yet relate 
Of greater progress in this State. 

By our great schools, in number vast, 
The future shall exceed the past, 
And cultured care shall make sublime 
The glory of the coming time. 

And when has passed a century more, 
And others gather on this shore 
To tell of further triumphs, then 
They'll b'ess the mme of William Penn. 

Then the children sang again "Two Hundred Years have Rolled!' 
Away;"' words by George Cooper, of New York, music by Professor 
Sweney, and after this the Orator of the day, Hon. JOHN M. 
BROOMALL, of Media, was introduced and spoke as follows : 

The event we commemorate stands alone. It has no parallel in the history 
of the founding of States and ^Nations. 'Two centuries ago a few men, back- 
ed by no military power and proposing to use none, landed here, in a country 
possessed by barbarous tribes, rendered suspicious and inimical by the treat- 
ment they had received at the hands of the kindred of the immigrants for more 
than a century, and by pure force of kindness and justice oVjtained possession of 
the country and founded a State. To render the enterprise more difficult, set- 
tlements had been made at the same place by civilized men of two other na- 
tions, hostile to one another and to the immigrants, and not living upon the 
best terms with the natives, men who had left their homes in Europe from a 
spirit of restlessnes if not lawlessness; and who had effected a precarious lodg- 
ment among the natives by force or threat of arms, meeting cruelty with 
cruelty, crime with crime, the tomahawk and scalping knife with the gUK 
and sword. And yet in a few months all these discordant elements had been 
reduced to peaceable and willing submission to a single master mind. 

William Penn was no ordinary man. Living in an age of superstition and 
bigotry, with the fires of the inquisition hardly extinguished, with the prison 
and the gallows still the recognized means of advancing the cause of Chris- 
tianity, he became the champion of universal liberty of conscience, a measure 
then looked upon as the most insidious form of heresy. When the nations of 
Europe knew no mode of settling their disputes except by the sword, and 
when a depraved public taste made war the only occupation of a gentleman, 
he urged upon the Rulers, both by tongue and pen, the establishment of an in- 
ternational tribunal, to decide their controversies; thus anticipating by two 
hundred years, the measure which is now demanding the attention of the 
civilized world in terms that will not long be denied or evaded. War means 
national debt; and there is a limit to the ability of nations to borrow. When 
that limit is reached, Europe must break down in anarchy or quit fighting. 

When even the churches taught that uncivilized men have no rights which 
Christians are bound to respect; and that the only way to deal with a weaker 
people is with brute force, Penn refused to receive the property of the In- 
dians except by fair purchase. And he met them, not with ships bristling 
with cannon, not with armed legions, but as friend meets friend, with hand 
as open as his heart, inviting the fraternal feeling he extended, the love he 
felt, in the name of the universal Father, the Grod of Love. In short he 
taught the principles inculcated in the Sermon on the Mount were not glit- 
tering generalities, the eflFusions of a mere dreamer, but were intended as a 
rule of human conduct for States and Nations as well as individuals. Will 
the Christian world in its nineteenth century say he was wrong ? 

There are two modes of obtaining the property of another. One is by 



The Celebration. 275 



(Stealing it. If the job is small this is called larceny; if large it is called war. 
In the former case the perpetrator is locked up; in the latter he is crowned. 
The other modp is by buying it. This requires the assent of two minds, 
{mutually agreeing tothechange of ownership. The watchword of the reform 
mode is: "To the victors belong the spoils," while that of the latter mode is; 
"Do unto others as you would have them c^o unto you." There are two 
modes of settling disputes, whether individual or national. One is by sub- 
>mitting them to the arbitrary will of the stronger. In this also, the nomen- 
clature differs with the magnitude of the jo'b. If small it is called assault 
and battery, if large it is called war. The other is by agreement. This may 
be either an agreement to settle, or an agreement to submit the cause of 
■quarrel to the arbitrament of disinterested men. On both these subjects 
Fenn bad decided convictions and they governed his conduct through life. 

As far as we know he was the first to stiggest the settlement of national 
disputes by arbitration. In an essay entitled the -"Present and Future Peace 
of Europe," he proposed that Europe should have its Congress, as has already 
been stated, to which all disputes among the various nations should be sub- 
fnitted for final arbitration. He spoke of a time when individual disputes 
were settled by fighting, and argued that as all that had changed with ad- 
vancing civilization, so that almost all such disputes are now settled by peace- 
ful means, nations also if they would set about it in real earnest, might pro- 
vide a triJsunal that would settle peaceably nine cases of war out of every ten. 
It would have gladdened his heart if he could have foreseen that his native 
England within two centuries would adopt his plan substantially, and would 
settle all her disputes with equal nations by arbitration; though the effect 
might have been weakened if he could also have foreseen that England still 
■reserves war as a means of bringing a weaker people to her way of thinking. 

William Penn was born on the fourteenth day of October, 1644. His fa- 
ther, who afterwards became Sir William Penn, a few days before the birth 
of the child had accepted the command of a man-of war destined to cruise in 
the Irish seas, in the interests of the Parliament, then engaged in its struggles 
with the king — a struggle which terminated by the deposition and judicial 
•murder of that unfortunate monarch. The elder Penn certainly had no 
•hostility to the Stuarts, for he was suspected with good reason of intriguing 
with the second Charles long before his restoration; and he became after- 
wards personally attached to both Charles and James, and appointed the lat- 
ter guardian of his son. He probably thought with reason that the navy, to 
be efficient, should be on the side of the government de facto. Hence, when 
the Parliament had triumphed over the king, he sided with the Parliament. 
When the Protector had dispersed the Parliament he took employment un- 
der the Protector, and when the signs of the times began to point toward a 
restoration of the Stuart dynasty he was among the earliest to take upon him- 
self the allegiance of Charles II. For his services in this regard he was 
knighted and created "Great Captain Commander," a title which was invent- 
ed for him, which died with him and was never revived. 

The services rendered by the gallant Captain to the Commonwealth were 
invaluable, he being a most efficient naval officer. They continued for about 
eleven years, wh^n they were abruptly brought to a close by his arrest and 
•commitme-nt to the Tower. This was not for the offence of which he was 
really guilty, his correspondence with the exiled royal family, an offence 
known to the Protector and overlooked on account of the valuable services 
of the offender, but for the failure of an attack on Hispaniola, for which he 
was in no way responsible. On being released, which was done without a 
trial, he took his family to his estates in Ireland, where his son William re- 
ceived instruction preparatory to his entering at Oxford, which he did in 1659. 

In the meantime the Protector died, his son, after a short term of power, 
was set aside and Charles Stuart restored to the throne. The services ren- 
dered by the elder Penn in the restoration were gratefully acknowledged by 



276' Historical Sketch of Chester. 



the gay and fickle monarch and by his more serious, but less fortunate bro- 
ther, who succeeded him to the throne; and a friendship sprang up betweei> 
the Stuarts and the Penns which greatly aided the younger Penn in carrying- 
out, at least for a time, his favorite political dogma of universal toleration. 

While at Oxford the idea of founding a Commonwealth, where rights 
should be equal and religion free, first entered Penn's mind . The New World 
seemed to invite such an undertaking. His position at college was far from 
being agreeable. Simple in his tastes and habits, and impatient of arbitrary 
restraint, the dress, the ceremonies and observances, forced upon the students 
by the State church, were exceedingly irksome to him, and he at last refused 
to conform to its requirements. This resulted in his expulsion at the age of 
eighteen, and he returned home to meet the angry frowns of his father, who 
could neither appreciate nor understand the fact that a mere boy should be 
governed by a sense of duty other than the duty imposed by parents and 
teachers. Finally the boy was beaten and turned out of doors. 

Through the intercession of his mother, hrwever, he was soon brought 
home and forgiven; and after a time he was sent to Paris, where he com- 
pleted his education and acquired graces and accomplishments of mind and 
manners for which he was ever afterwards distinguished. At the age of 
twenty he returned to London, where his father then resided, and remained 
there with the family until the plague broke out in 1665. This devastating 
scourge cast a gloom over the whole city. Terror and despair marked every 
countenance; and to a mind like Penn's it was no wonder that the awful 
solemnity took the shape of an inquiry into the state of his confcience. What 
ought he to do? What duty did he owe to his Maker and his fellow-men? 

Having been sent to Ireland to attend to the family estates there, he met 
with Thomas Loe, an eminent minister of the Society of Friends. The prin- 
ciples of that Society, as expounded by the preacher, seemed to be in accord- 
ance with his own convictions. Their love of peace, their advocacy of hu- 
man rights, their hatred of State religions, their denial of the divine right of 
kings and priests, met answering responses in the heart of the young philan- 
thropist. They stimulated his hatred of rituals and priestly requirements 
and his dreams of republican equality among men. In short, Penn became 
a Quaker, and his father recalled him, expostulated with him angrily, but 
vainly, and turned him out of doors a second time. This defection of his 
son was the more severe upon the Admiral from the fact that he had the offer 
of the Peerage under the title of Lord Weymouth. But his son refused to 
be the heir apparent to a title of nobility, and the Admiral, deeply mortified, 
felt constrained to decline the profi'ered honor. 

It is said that we are what we are very much by reason of our antecedents 
and surroundings. If this be true, it would be curious to inquire how much 
of Penn's mental constitution came to him by inheritance. His love of Peace 
hardly descended from his father who spent half a life time in the naval 
service of Great Britain, nor from his grandfather a captain in the merchant 
service, then almost as warlike as the navy; and his love of justice and fair- 
ness and honor was not likely to come in the blood of the man who, while 
enjoying the confidence of the Protector and receiving his pay, proposed to 
surrender the royal navy to Charles Stuart, and was only prevented from 
doing so by that fugitive Prince having no port or harbor to shelter it. 

Possibly his gentleness and kindness of heart, as well as other attributes 
of higher and better life were inherited from his mother, Margaret Jasper, 
who was the daughter of a merchant of Rotterdam. However this may be, 
she seems to have understood her son better than his father did and to 
have frequently softened the asperities which their exceedingly discordant 
mental constitutions caused by their paternal and filial intercourse. But 
from the fact that he transmitted so little of himself to his descendants it is 
not unlikely that he owed as little to his antecedents. 

His surroundings were such as to develop, for good or evil, all the force of 



Ihe Celebration. 211 



character he had. Coming to the age of thought when England was in 
a state of peculiar ferment from theological controversies, and being himself 
drawn into the vortex, his sufferings which failed to crush, him, modified and 
shaped his whole career. A man of less moral and religious convictions 
and less force of will, under the treatment he received, would have sunk into 
the criminal. Cruelty and oppression are powerful elements in the formation 
of character; and whether they make the subject a saint or a fiend depends 
upon whether or not he has sufficient mental and moral force to rise above the 
demoralizing influences. It is well it 

Like some tall cliff that rears its awful form, 
Swells from the vale and midway leaves the storm, 
Though round its base the rolling clouds are spread, 
Eternal sunshine settles on its head. 

But suppose there should not be enough in the head to rise above the 
rolling clouds? Society is responsible for the downfall of many a man whom 
it might have saved. Penn, however, was not at the mercy of circumstances. 
Injustice and persecution could not debase him or make him cruel; almost 
unlimited power in his province could not make him a tyrant, and the 
seductive flatteries of court life could not destroy his republican simplicity. 

The severe ordeal through which Penn passed and which contributed 
largely to make him what he was, is an interesting historical study. The 
Church of England, occupying a position midway between the Catholics and 
advanced Protestants, looked with a jealous eye upon both. Having control 
of the civil power, it determined to hold its advantage against both extremes. 
The royal family was suspected of leaning toward Popery; and the State 
Church, instead of combining all Protestantism against Rome, aflfected to be- 
lieve that the Dissentt^rs were in league with the Pope; and that every 
meeting in the name of religion, unless under the authority of the civil law 
and supported by tythes collected by legal machinery was in the interest of 
the Babylonish harlot. 

In 1664, these reverend zealots compelled the Parliament to pass the Con- 
venticle Act and to renew it again in 1670. This act made it a penal ofl'ense for 
more than five persons, exclusive of the family to meet for religious wor- 
ship, unless conducted by a person in holy orders and according to the State 
ritual. The punishment for the first offense was a fine of five pounds or 
three month's imprisonment. For the second offense the punishment was 
doubled, and for the third offense the culprit was subjected to a fine of a 
hundred pounds or to banishment for seven years, and every subsequent 
offense added a hundred pounds to the fine. 

Of course such a law could not have been generally enforced, otherwise 
it would have depopulated the kingdom. But from religious bigotry or 
a desire to reap a portion of the fine or to wreak vengeance upon a real or 
fancied enemy, men were found ready to report violations of the law; and the 
Quakers and other Dissenters suffered terribly for some years. Among other 
instances, Penn was arrested in 1667 and confined in the Tower for more 
than eight months, when he was set at liberty by the King. In 1670 he was 
again arrested under the same act and after some months he was brought 
to trial. But so ably did he and his fellow prisoner, William Mead, defend 
themselves that the jury refused to convict though they were sent back with 
a severe reprimand again and again, and were finally imprisoned themselves 
because they would not let the Court make their verdict. 

James, who had then succeeded his brother, was slow in enforcing this in- 
iquitous act. He interfered frequently by means of his royal prerogative, 
to mitigate its horrors, and the State Church was displeased with his clem- 
ency. It is believed with good reason that his leading object was to protect his 
Catholic friends; and yet it refused to relieve the dissenters. It is some satis- 
faction to read that William of Orange, whom the advocates of religious in- 
tolerance invited over in order to secure the more rigid enforcement of the 



278 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Conyenticle Act, no sooner found timself firmly seated on the British throne 
than he caused the repeal of that odious law and granted universal toleration. 
But before its repeal that law had worked great injury to England and great 
corresponding benefit to the American colonies. A few words will explain 
this. 

It is always the most energetic who voluntarily emigrate. The degraded, 
the debased, the ignorant the imbecile may be banished but they never vol- 
untarily expatriate themselves. Emigration therefore always lessens the 
energy of the parent stock for the benefit of the new country. This alone 
would have given the population of America a great advantage in mental 
efficiency and enterprise over that of the mother country. But the intolerant 
legislation of the mother country incrt^asHd this advantage many fold. As a 
rule the Dissenters of England wpre neither the very high nor the very low. 

They belonged to that great middle class that contains almost all the use- 
fulness of every population. The very low were content to let the State 
Church do their thinking, and the very high held their position by the 
combination of Church and State, and their interests r* quired them to support 
both. 

It was impossible to enforce the law against all Dissenters. Indeed it was 
not every Dissenter that was worth the trouble of a prosecution. But the pro- 
minent ones, the leaders, those the prosecution of whom would pay, these were 
fair and profitable game. A wealthy man, a man of influence among his neigh- 
bors, a man who had sufficient mental force and obstioate convictions to 
make enemies, was sure to be informed against and fined or imprisoned. The 
consequence was that such men flocked to the new country very rapidly. 
This built up Puritan New England, Quaker Pennsylvania and Episcopal 
Virginia. For the State Church was under a cloud during the Protectorate 
occupying, though in a much less degree, the position of the Dissenters under 
Charles and James. The masterminds that controlled the destinies of Ameri- 
ca in 1776 were the sons and grandsons of the men whom religious in- 
tolerance had driven from England to seek freedom of thought, freedom of 
speech and freedom of religion in the New World. Indeed it is quite within 
the bounds of possibility that if it had not been for the Conventicle Act and 
other similar despotic laws, our country might to-day have been as Canada 
is, a dependency of Great Britain, So true is it that nations like individuals 
cannot aiford to do a wrong. Retributive justice may be slow, but it is 
sure. The day of reckoning may be put oflF, but it cannot be evaded. 

For some years Penn had been talking with Algernon Sidney and others of 
advanced opinions, of a possible Utopia in America. He had been dreaming 
of a country where kings and priests should be unknown, where rights 
should be equal, and thought and speech free. He had brooded in prison 
and out of it over his own wrongs and the wrongs of his fellow Dissenters. 
As early as 1675 he became interested, partly as owner and partly as agent, 
in the settlement of western New Jersey. He had counseled and aided emi- 
gration there, and the colonists were mostly Quakers who had fled from 
religious persecution at home. In the meantime the death of his father left 
him with a large claim against the Crown. The profligate and dissolute 
Charles, always in want of money, was glad to exchange wild lands three 
thousand miles away for freedom from this troublesome debt at home. Be- 
side this he knew and esteemed Penn, and had no bad feeling against the 
Quakers, except such feeling as every monarch who wishes to be absolute, 
may be presumed to enter against men who do their own thinking. And so 
the bargain was made and Pennsylvania sprang into being — upon paper. 
This event occurred on March 4th, 1681. 

Charles, or his advisers, seemed to have had a correct appreciation of Penn's 
mental characteristics; for the charter speaks of his laudable desire to 
"reduce the savage natives, by jnst and gentle manners, to the love of civil 
society and the Christian religion." No words could have better charac- 



The Celebration. 279 



terized the new proprietary. He was a man of gentle and just manners. 
The other laudable desire, to provide a place of refuge from the iron heel of 
the hybred monster, Church and the State, charter carefully omits to mention. 

It is a satisfaction to know that Admiral Penn, long before his death, be- 
came reconciled to his son. Though he never left the State Church, he had 
no sympathy with the persecution of Dissenters, and the more he saw of it, 
especially in the person of his son, the more his kindly feelings went out to- 
ward the oppressed. He especially admired the patience of the Quakers and 
their forbearance under persecution. He unconsciously adopted their opin- 
ions and testimonies, and he looked forward hopefully to the time when they 
should have their reward in the downfall of priests and kings. 

A year and a half from the date of the charter elapsed before Penn was 
enabled to take possession of his new domain. Many preparations were need- 
ed. A frame of government had to be fixed upon. Full access to the bay 
and ocean had to be secured to the colony. This was done by a grant from 
the Duke of York, on August 24, 1681, by which he ceded to Penn the town 
of New Castle and a district of country of twelve miles radius around it, with 
the islands opposite, north of its lower boundary. The death of his mother, 
in the meantime, to whom he was tenderly attached, delayed these prepara- 
tions. 

At length, on September 1, 1682, the Welcome, a ship of three hundred 
tons burden, containing Penn and about one hundred of his followers, weighed 
anchor at Deal; and the colonists bade adieu to the land they still loved 
through all the wrongs it had inflicted upon them. On the 27th of October, the 
Welcome anchored off New Castle, and the next day the Founder of Penn- 
sylvania landed on the spot in front of us, and took possession of a province 
nearly as large as England, and assumed control of the only American colony 
that was established without bloodshed. 

It requires some effort of the imagination to conceive what this vicinity was 
two hundred years ago. Where there are now miles of brick walls and 
paved streets, a city in all directions, then was the dense wild, interspersed 
only occasionally with clearings and cabins, mostly along the river shore. 
A few miles west of us was the "back woods," a term which has travelled 
toward the setting sun with each generation until it has become lost to the 
nomenclature of America in the Pacific ocean. Where now the bustle of 
business, the puffing of steam engines, the thundering of passing railroad 
trains, and the hum and clatter of the shuttle and spindle confuse the ear 
with constantly mingling and changing sounds, then were heard the roar, 
the howl and the shriek of beasts and birds long since extinct in this locality. 

All around where we now are was the gorgeous autumn foliage of the oak, 
the chestnut, the maple, the gum and the dogwood, which are now banished 
to the streams and hillsides inaccessible to the cupidity of civilized man, or 
to spots where his good taste or carelessness have left the soil unturned. 
There were neither streets nor roads, in the proper sense of those terms, in 
the Province. The first street laid out by legal authority was in 1686. It 
was on or near the site of Edgmont Avenue, its southern terminus being 
about Second street. But there were cattle paths, Indian trails and tracks 
worn by the settlers. Among the chief of these was a tract running parallel 
to the river and crossing the tributary streams at the head of tide, Chester 
creek at Upland, Ridley creek at Sharpless' mills, and Crum creek and Darby 
creek, near where the turnpike road now crosses them. It was called the 
"King's road" in 1688. 

As settlements came to be made at the mouths of the streams, bridges were 
built there, and the road was changed from time to time to suit the bridges, 
being called the King's highway or the Queen's highway, according to the 
sex of the British monarch at the time of the change. 

The Delaware was then a much more convenient highway for small boats 
than now, and much of the travel was done upon it. The western shore was 



280 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



bold and many of the settlers' huts were built near high-water mark. Each 
family had its canoe or other small boat moored near the door, ready for all 
occasions of business or pleasure. 

On the south west bank of Chester creek stood the residence of Robert Wade. 
It occupied nearly the site of the northwest corner of Penn and Front streets, 
and its remains were found in digging the foundation of the dwelling house 
now standing there. It was then, or afterwards, called the Essex House; 
and what is now Concord Avenue was doubtless Wade's lane, leading in from 
the woods and probably from the track that crossed the streams at the head 
of tide. Its course was that of the avenue above Third street, crossing di- 
agonally to the aoathwest sid^ of Wade's dwelling. It was afterwards opened 
to public travel and called Essex street, and it is so cited in the early deeds 
and marked on the early maps. Bat it had been abandoned and closed long 
before the Innovators of 1850 awakened Chester from its long slumber. 

Chester creek at that time was a noble stream, three or four hundred feet 
wide at its mouth, admitting vessels of considerable size to land their cargoes 
a little east of the crossing of Penn and Front streets. The plow and the axe, 
the turning of the soil, and the destruction of the timber, have loaded the 
tributaries of the Delaware with earth, sand and gravel which have been 
largely deposited along its western shore; and the building of wharves and 
banks has increased and retained the deposit. By this means Chester creek 
has shrunk to a fraction of its former dimensions, and a wide strip of banked 
meadow and out-lying marsh skirt the river shore where then vessels of from 
twelve to twenty feet draft could ride comfortably at anchor at low water. 
The settler could not now step from his front door to his canoe, but would 
have a long wade through the mud after crossing hundreds of yards of bank- 
ed meadow before he could reach sufficient water to float his craft. 

Judging from the nature and extent of the deposits, the mouth of Chester 
creek, on the southwest side, was at that time about the southeast corner of 
Penn and Front streets. From that point the shore rounded inwards and 
passed up nearly parallel with Penn street, and from seventy to a hundred 
feet from it. The actual place of landing was probably about the southeast 
corner of Penn and Front streets. As late as 1850 the spring tides covered 
the spot now occupied by the southeast corner of the dwelling house of Dr. 
J. L. Forwood, and the bottom of the recent deposits sloped rapidly into deep 
water. The shore was abrupt and vessels of the usual draft could approach 
within a short distance of it. 

Penn was the guest of Robert Wade, and we caa easily imagine him, with 
his friends, being met at the landing by their host and welcomed as the Ruler 
of the Province. We can also imagine the presence of Indians, to whom the 
character of Penn was well known, partly through his management of the 
colony of West Jersey and partly through his cousin and agent, William 
Markham, who had preceded him by some months, and had communicated 
to the natives the pacific disposition and kindly intentions of the new Gov- 
ernor. Naturally they would desire to see the white man who would 
neither kill them nor steal their land. 

Penn had provided in his conditions imposed upon the colonists and his 
concessions to them that an injury done to an Indian should be punished as 
if it had been done to a white man; and that offences committed by a native 
should not be avenged by the sufferer, but should be reported to the eivil 
authorities, who should communicate with the offender's king or chief with 
the view of obtaining satisfaction peaceably. 

He provided also equal rights for all men, and secured to th« Indians the 
same privilege to improve their land and provide sustenance for their fami- 
lies which his colonists were to enjoy. He provided that all disputes and 
differences between men of the different races should be submitted to a jury 
composed one-half of Indians. In all respects the natives were to be treated 
as friends and brothers. All paths were to be free and the firesides of eaoh 



The Celehmtim. 2Si 



ffface were to "be open to the friendly visits of the otber, and finallj the child- 
ren of each race were to be told of the friendship between the parnnt?, that 
the chain might grow stronger and stronger and be kept bright and clean as 
long as the waters run and thp sun and moon endure. 

What a contrast this affords with the treatment of the natives of the New 
World by the European invad^rg of thu fiftaenth century! The history of 
the conquest of Mexico aodPeru is not fit to be read by any one who wishes 
to think well of his fellowmen. But may we not look nearer home? The 
settlement of Virginia and New England was made upon precisnly the same 
principle, though the actors were less brutal and less atrocious. This princi- 
ple was that the country belonged to the invaders, and that the natives were 
■only tenants by sufferance. The process may be explained in i single para- 
graph. When a colonist wanted land he took it. If the native resisted he 
was driven off by force. If be avenged the wrong he was killed', when his 
tribe took up the quarrel, as was natural, an Indian war ensued, in which 
blood was shed and deeds of horror perpetrated on both sides. The final 
Tesult was always in favor of the colonist, who got more land and drove the 
Indians still farther from the settlements. 

Would to Heaven that we could not be pointed to a parallel still nearer 
-home. But truth requires the confession that the same odious principle of 
the right of the white man to invade, to disposses and exterminate, has 
characterized the treatment of the Indians from that time until the pre- 
sent: and the process is still going on. When the white man wants land he 
takes it. If the Indian resists he is driven off by force. If he avenges the 
wrong he is killed. If his people take up the quarrel, an .Indian war 
ensues, with all its horrors, ending always with the white man taking still 
more land and driving the Indian still farther toward their "manifest destiny." 
The only esception to this rule is the case we ar« now commemorating, 
which exhibits the single bright page in a very dark history. 

The Lenni Lenape has disappeared from the soil of Pennsylvania and from 
the land of his fathers, but it was through no fault of Penn and his followers. 
He has been lost in his journey westward in other tribes; but he faithfully 
carried out his part of the compact. We bear of bim on the banks of the 
western rivers, on the anniversary of the day we celebrate, selectirg a spot 
like that where the Elm stood, and spreading his copy of the Treaty upon the 
ground, explaining it to the children of bis tribe and impressing upon them 
that the friendship between them and the followers of Penn must be kept in- 
violate, in the strong language of his race, as i®ng as the sun and moon endure. 

The experiment of the Founder of Pennsylvania demonstrated that it was 
not necessary to exterminate the Indians. There was room enough in the 
country for them and us too. But to the disgrace of the white man we must 
admit that he has rarely come in contact with a weaker race except to exter- 
minate or enslave. This may be in accordance with the stern law of "The 
Survival of the Fittest," and the day when the Indian wrongs shall be aven- 
ged may be when the white man shall fall before the advance of a stronger 
Tace yet to be. 

The success of the experiment certainly would have warranted its repetition 
and continuance. For seventy years the colony existed in prosperity and pro- 
found peace without armies, without vessels of war, without forts, without 
arsenals. Other colonies were kept in constant dread of what they termed the 
^'merciless savage." But no Quaker ever lost bis life by the band of an In- 
dian; and for forty years no blood was shed on either side. Two years after 
the death of Penn, the first murder across the line of the races occurred, and 
the murderer was a white man. His Indian victim was slain ander circum- 
stances of peculiar atrocity. Yet so impressed were the Indians with the 
kindness aad justice of the colonial government and the humane teachings of 
its founder, that they petitioned for the life of the offender to be spared, and 
i4 was spared. 



2H2 Historical Sketch &f ChpsteK 



But the French and Indian war came on; thpn followed the American Eer- 
oluUon, and then thecolony passed out of the hands of the followers of Penn, 
in all essHDtials however, the impress of the hand of the Founder is upon the- 
Constitution of Pennsylvania to day. The absence of a State Church, freedons 
of conscience in matters of religion, equality of all men under the law and in 
the making of the law, universal education provided by the State, the equal 
right of suffrage vested in all freemen, these are elements of Penn's Frame of 
Government and they have come down to us unchanged. Other Colonies 
adopted thee^e provisions and they passed into the Constitutions of the several 
States of the Union. Indeed, that which formed the model from which were 
taken all our State Governments and the government of the United States 
was the Frame of Government introduced by William Penn two hundred 
years ago. 

It is much to be regretted that the Founder was not permitted to carry 
out his original intention of locating in the Province permanently with hiS' 
family. The condition of the Dissenters in England called for his sympathy 
and assistance; and the difficulty about his southern boundary having been 
transferred to the home government for settlement, it became necessary for 
him to return to England, and he left the colony in October, 1684. In 1685, 
Charles died and the throne devolved upon his brother James, a man of good 
intentions, but of narrow and bigoted views. 

Penn's influence with James was understood and appreciated by the Dis- 
senters of all persuasions, and he was appealed to on every side and urged to 
procure a suspension of the cruel and unjust laws. An Act of Parliament, 
passed in the reign of Elizabeth, was revived against the Dissenters, which 
inflicted a fine of twenty pounds per month upon all persons who neglected 
or refused to attend the'services of the established Church. This with the- 
Conventicle Act, it was supposed, would reach and coerce every offender 
worth prot^eouting. The crushing weight of this law will be seen when we 
remember that twenty pounds then equalled about four hundred dollars noWj, 
taking into account the difference in the value of money, making forty-eight 
hundred dollars a year as the cost of ex&rcising a conscientious choice in the 
manner of worshiping God. 

Through the influence of Penn and other men of liberal views, James issued 
a general pardon of all offenses against these acts, and twelve hundred Quak- 
ers alone, besides many persons of other dissenting persuasions were dis- 
charged from prison by it. The laws, however, were still in force, and Penn 
labored until the downfall of James in mitigating their effect upon all suffer- 
ers, taking advantage of the fact that James himself was not of the establi- 
shed church, and subjecting himself to some ill-will among tis fellow Dis- 
senters by his steady refusal to discriminate against the Catholics. His object 
was to procure as far as possible, universal freedom of belief and worship. 
In this he had considerable success, and it is not unlikely that that success 
contributed to the downfall of the king. Penn was a century in advance of 
his age. The received opinion at that time was that it was the business of 
the civil government to compel men to believe right. 

Upon the advent of William of Orange, Penn fell under the suspicion of 
favoring the fortunes of the fallen King, and he wae several times arrested, 
but the most rigid investigation failed to discover a single violation of law 
or even the smallest suspicion of it. Penn admitted his friendship for James, 
but denied all idea of assisting him, and even of the possibility of his res- 
toration. Ho appealed to his past history to shew that what he wanted was 
universal toleration in matters of religion, and having that under the new 
king, it would be folly for him to ask the restoration of the old one who, 
though willing, could not grant it. 

At length, in 1699 Penn arrived at Philadel phia, proposing to reside in 
the colony for the remainder of his days. But the tlxreatened war between 
France and England led to an attempt to take his Province from him, 



Ihc Cetebretiion. -281 



■mid. TbeTettirned to the motber country to defend tbe rights of the colonists. 
In ]701 he took what proved be a final leave of his colony. This attempt 
failed through an appeal to the sense of justice of the king. But pecuniary 
troubles arising from his having spent so much of his fortune in found- 
ing the colony, and receiving so little return, and an arrest and imprison- 
ment for an unjust claim on tbe part of one of his agents, weighed heavily 
upon him and he became afflicted with paralysis in 1712, from which his 
-mind never fully recovered. He died in 1718, closing an active and unselfish 
life and leaving a fame that will last as long as the recollection and approval 
of the great and good shall be a characteristic of the human mind. 

Two hundred years have passed away since the landing of the "Welcome" 
tipon the spot before us, and it will be interesting and instructive to inquire 
what these tw© hundred years have done for us. The population of Chester 
at the time of the landing was probably less than a hundred. The taxables 
live years before numbered sixteen, which would represpnt a population of 
less than sixty. Up to 1840 the increase was very slow, «he census of that 
year showing a little over seven hundred. Soon after that date the town 
took a sudden start, which greatly surprised the older inhabitants. It has 
now become a great manufacturing city, with a population of twenty-three 
thousand, including the contiguous Boroughs formed by the overspreading 
of its boundaries. At the same rate of increase the population at the Tri- 
Centennial celebration of the landing will exceed twenty-three millions. 

It was Penn's original idea to locate his city at Chester. Two causes, 
however, combined to prevent this. 1. The land was in the possession of 
settlers some of whom refused to sell and 2, There was some doubt whether 
or not Chester was within Penn's purchase. The southern limit of that pur- 
chase was the fortieth parallel of n-orth latitude, and Chester is south of 
that parallel. At the granting of the charter, the fortieth parallel was 
supposed to be at or near the northern boundary of Maryland as ultimately 
^xed. The possessions of the respective parties substantially determined 
the line between them, but it was not exactly located until 1765, when it 
was run and marked by Mason and Dixon. 

If Penn coula have foreseen how much the shipping would increase la 
size and draft of water, and how rapidly the river would be encroached upon 
by the land, he might have given less weight to the considerations that 
induced him to locate his city above the mouth of the Schuylkill. Already 
nearly all the shipping that passes Chester has to be taken and returned by 
tug boats. This, however, is of ilttle importance now. The two cities will 
soon be one, in fact, so rapidly are they approaching, and Chester will then 
become the port of entry of Philadelphia. 

In H82 Philadelphia was substantially without inhabitants. In two hun- 
dred years it has acquired eight hundred and fifty thousand. In extent of 
territory it is the largest city in America, and second only to New York in 
population. In 1682 the population of the entire State could not have exceed- 
ed a few hundreds, while now it numbers four millions and a half; and 
that of the United States has increased from three millions and a half to fifty 
millions within the last century. In short, from very small beginnings, two 
hundred years ago, we have become one of the leading nations "of the world. 
All this has been largely owing to our liberal institutions, our exemption 
from priestly interference in matters of religion and our freedom from the 
crushing weight of the military systems of Europe. 

The inventions and discoveries of the last twocenturies have been enor- 
mous, both in number and importance, and we have contributed our full 
proportion. The steamboat, the printing press, the power loom, friction 
matches, dynamite, the spectroscope, the electric light, ansesthetics, are some 
of the things of which Penn and his cotemporaries knew nothing. If the 
world could be set back in the use of the forces and materials in Nature's 



'2^4 Historical Sketch ofCheste, 



workshop to where it was in 1682, one fourth of its population would die of 
starvation in a year. 

An f qual progress has been made in moral and social science. We have abol- 
ished human slavery in almost the entire civilized world. We have abol- 
ished war as a rncognized means of settling private disputes and are inventingr 
a civilizf^d mode of settling public ones. We have applied the precepts of 
Him of Nazareth to the treatment of the waifs and strays of humanity — the 
pauper, the lunatic and idiot — and have almost discovered that the criminal' 
is the product of social and natural causes, and is to be taken care of kindly 
for his own good and for the safety of the community. The world moves. 
Who shall say to what a summit of human perfection the next two hundred 
years will bring us ? 

In all the coming years let us remember and celebrate the day and honor 
the place of our birth as a civil organization, the place where the power of 
kindness and justice was first recognized and demonstrated as a means of 
reaching the hearts and regulating the conduct of communities of men; the 
day upon which the great principles promulgated on the mountain in Judea 
were applied for the first and only time to the founding of civil government, 
principles which, after eighteen hundred years, we are only Just beginning 
to see must rule the world. Let us remember that in this place and on that 
day Christianity was put upon its trial as a rule of human conduct, and that 
it succeeded. Let us remember that the ground whereon we stand is holy. 
In passing to us from the hands of those to whom Grod gave it, in the dim 
twiliarht of the past, it was not watered by their blood and tears. Let every 
son of Pennsylvania treasure up in his heart gratefully and teach his chil- 
dren that the terrible catalogue of crime registered against the white invaders 
of America has no application to the State that perpetuates the name of Wil- 
liam Ppnn. 

The address speaks for itself and needs no words of commenda- 
tion. The quiet attention with which it was received by those who' 
had the good fortune to be near enough to hear it, was sufficient 
evidence of its in>terest. The children sang the Bi-Centennial Ode^ 
composed by Prof. CHARLES F. FOSTER, Superintendent of the- 
Public Schools, and set to music by Prof. JOHN R. SWENEY. 
It was as follows : 

THE BI-CENTENNIAI. HYMW. 



Through a hundred years of toil and strife, 

And a hundred of the nation 'ij life, 

Have the centuries trod with step sublime, 

And are bearing a tale of olden time; 

How the man of the silent song and prayer, 

On the forest-shore of the Delaware, 

In liberty's cause the flag unfurled. 

Which in triumph shall wave o'er the land and the world. 

CHORUS. 

Then a cheer for the Union, grand and great. 

And a hip-hip-hurrah for the Keystone State, 

But a joyful song and a tender prayer 

For the home of Penn by the Uelaware. 
We honor him who long ago, 
Witti a brotht-r's love disarmed the foe. 
And a bloodless battle fought and won 
On the famous field of Kensington. 
* nd now, from the falls of Trenton down 
To the Quaker City, and Chester town, 
The hearts of the people turn with pride 
To the spot which Penn has glorified. 

Oho.— Then a cheer, &c. 



Ihe Celebration. 285 



Now the mountains come to wed the sea . 
At the river shall the meeting be, 
As'Jthe ship glides down in stately ptide, 
With a lover's kiss to greet the tide; 
And men are toiling with might and inaili, * 
With the sinewy arm, and the busy brain, 
That the breezes of ocean everywhere 
May carry the fame of the Delaware. 

Cho Then a cheer, &c. 

Lo! the strength of these two hundred years 
In our giant growth to-day appears; 
For the Quaker's word was a title-deed 
Alike to the Red Man, Dutch and Swede, 
And the old , old message he uttered then, 
Of "Peace on earth, good will to men." 
Is the" gospel of love which shall ever stand 
As' the pledge of the nation, the hope of the land. 
Cho — Then a cheer, &c. 

After music by the band, followed by the closing prayer by Rev. 
Thomas Macauley, of the Third Presbyterian Church, the assem- 
blage dispersed, the band playing "William Penn's Grand March," 
composed by Prof. Sweney, to seek substantial refreshments in the 
two hours which intervened before the Grand Parade, which was 
fixed for two o'clock in the afternoon. The guests of the city were 
entertained at the Chester Republican League House, on Edgmont 
Avenue. The building was handsomely decorated and its doors 
thrown hospitably open to the throng of visitors. The dinner was 
served in excellent style by Mr. Graves, caterer, from Wilmington, 
Del., and was arranged under direction of the Bi-Centennial Com- 
mittee on Entertainment and a Committee consisting of William 
B. Broomall, Thomas I. Leiper, Thomas H. Mirkil,E. S. McKeever, 
W. Ross Brown and George B. Lindsay, members of the League. 
There was ample supply of all goods things, and the management 
was admirable. Others of the visitors to the city were entertained 
at private houses, while the hotels were filled to overflowing with 
guests. 



THE AFTERNOON. 



The sun shone brightly and long before the time fixed for the 
Civic, Industrial and Military Parade, the streets were again 
thronged and every vantage place along the route of march was oc- 
cupied by those anxious to see the display. They had not long to 



286 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

wait, for in this, as in every other part of the exercises of the d 'y, 
the management was as nearly perfect as could be. 

Under the able direction of Chief Marshal, Col. W. C. Gray and 
his efficient Aids, and that of the different Marshals of divisions, 
the column was promptly formed and move : within a few moments 
of the appointed time. When it is considered that there were over 
6000 men in line, including every kind of civic and industrial dis- 
play, firemen and military, and that the parade was over an hour 
passing a given point, it will be seen how much credit was due to the 
executive ability of Col. Gray and his assistants, and the intelligent 
co-operation of all the organizations engaged. There was no delay 
or confusion at any point on the route and from first to last every- 
thing moved with the precision of clock work. 

The line was formed in the South Ward, at Third and Penn 
streets, all the streets running north and south of Third street, as 
far as Kerlin, being filled with organizations intending to partici- 
pate in the parade, and after everything was gotten in readiness the 
procession moved, a liitle after two o'clock, in the following order: 

Chief Marshal, Col. W. C. Gray. Aids, WilUam I. Leiper, John G. Price, J. Howard 
Lewis Jr., William H. Green, John B. Hannum, W. K. Osborne, J. P. Crozer, John 
Lilley' ("aptain Isaac Johnson, William P. Ladomus, i'. Crossley, William G. Price. 
Robert Anderson, J. H. Cochran, E. P. Hannum. W. T. Dain, H. R. Jlanley. 

FIRST DIVISION Oglesby's Band, 41 pieces. Chief Tamanand, Arthur Martin. 

Aids Robert Campbell, H. P. Harvey, B. f Bucha, John Mott, in Indian costume, 
mounted. Members of the Order of Red Men, in Indian costume, 65 men. Upland 
Band 22 pieces. Tuscarora Tribe, No. 29, 75 men; W. B. Lear. Marshal. Franken- 
tield Band, Philadelphia, 22 pieces. Mocoponaca Tribe, No. 149, 70 men; Adam Pierce, 
Marshal. Ockhoking Tribe, No. 159, Newtown Square, 20 men; Isaiah Massey, Mar- 
shal Delegates from Idaho. Wohasset, Wissahicken, No. 32. Coaquanock, No. 49; 
Seminole, No. 30; Ponemah Tribes, of Philadelphia. Shawnee Tribe, No. 62, of Phila- 
delphia 92 men. Rockdale Band, 17 pieces. Lenni Tribe, No. 66, of Rockdale, 48 
men- William F»-a' ce. Marshal. W. J. McClure, of York, Great Sachem; Thomas A. 
McDowell, of Gcrmantown, Great Senior Sagamore; Great Chief of Records, Charles 
C Conley Great Keeper of W ampum, George W. Kreamer, both of Philadelphia; An- 
drew Zand, of EastoD, Great Meshinewa of the Great Council of Pennsylvania; An- 
drew J. Baker, P. G. I. of U. S., of Philadelphia; Great Guard of the Wigwam, Chas. 
C Kambers, of Pittsburg— all of the Great Council of Pennsylvania; also. Great Chief 
of Records, Joshua Maris, and Great Keeper of Wampum, Joseph Pyle, of the Great 
Council of the United states, both of Wilmington, in carriages. 

SECOND DIVISION.— i/orsftoZ, Charles Sykes. Aids, H. Pennell, H. Chadwick, 
John Marlor, Charles Sharpless, O. C. McClure, John Fullerton, S. W. Logan, JohE 
T. Morgan. Guests of the Fire Companies in carriages. Keystone Band, of Phila- 
delphia, 24 pieces. Volunteer Fire Association, of r hiladelphia, 10 » men; John Welsh, 
Marshal. Old hand engine. Montgomery Hose, Norristown, 20 men; Norristown 
Band. 25 pieces. Washington Fire Company, of Conshohocken, 48 men; Miles Stem- 
pie Marshal; hose carriage and steamer; guests in carriages. Centennial Band, Fallg 
of Schuylkill, 20 pieces. Franklin Fire Company, Chester, 110 men; Samuel Harkin, 
Marshal- hose carriage and steamer; B. B. Welser, John Pennell and William Cowan 
in a carriage. Kensington Band, 22 pieces. Hanley Hose, Chester, 90 men; Thomas 
Berry Marsiial; hose carriage and steamer. Womel^dorf Band, 20 pieces. Junior 
Fire Company, of Reading, 65 men^ William Boynton, Marshal; hose carriage and 
steamer. Altoona Band, 28 pieces. Vigilant Fire Company, 52 men, with steamer. 
Friendship Band, Chester, 20 pieces. Moyamensing Hook and Ladder Company, 
Chester 120 men, with truck and wagon containing a representation of "Penn" Cabinet*. 
THIRD DIVISION. — Marshal, J. Newton Shanafelt. Aids, Stephen L. Armour, D. 
Traub Isaac Rodgers, F. B.Bowers, Horace Fairlamb, M, Hatton, John Lindaay, E. 



The Celebration. 287 



Pennell, D. F. Rose, f^. M. Cox. Excelsior Band, Salem, 20 pieces. Larkin Circle, 
No. 66, B.U.,and Good Intent, No. 75, Chester, 125 men. West Grove Band. 20 pieces. 
St. Agnes Cadets, West (Miester, 40 cadets, bovs dressed in blue jackets and white 
pants, carrying axes and flags. St. Michael's T. A. B. Society, Chester, 105 men and 
20 pioneers. Immaculate Heart T. A. B. Society, Ches'er, 40 men. Patriotic Order 
Sons of America, Chester. 150 men, with band. Scotch Bana, James A. C. Dickson 
pipe major. Caledonian Club, of Philadelphia, 20 men. Hobert Burns Club, Ches- 
ter, 30 men; Wil iam McOallum, Marshal. Concordia Band, Philadelphia, 12 pieces. 
14 German citizens dressei in costumes, representing burgers, foresters, huzzars and 
dragoo'S. Germ in Beneficial Society, Chester, 42 men; D. Traub. Marshal. Prussia's 
first King, Frederick, was represented; also Gambrinus and Bacchus, grotesquely 
dressed, in a wagon. Hull's Band, Souih Chester, 22 pieces. Industrial Association 
and Hod Carriers' I'nion, 45 men. 

FOURTH DIVISION.— 3/ars/iaZ, Samuel Starr, M. D. Aids,T)T. C. C. V.Craw- 
ford, H. A. Eisenbise, Dr. Theodore S. Christ. Metropolitan Band, Philadelphia, 25 
pieces. Cadets P. M. A., 170 rifles; Captains Duval. R. K. barter, B. F. Morley and 
C. E. Hvatt commanding. Drum Corps. Companv H, 6th Reg., Media, 35 rifles; 
Captain Jcdsh M. Baker. Wilde Post Fife and Drum'Corps, Chester, 20 pieces. Wilde 
Post, No. 25, G. A. R , Chester, 80 men; Joel HoUingsworth commander. Bradbury 
Post, No. 149. Media; Samuel Crozier commander. Smvth Post Drum Corps. Gen- 
eral Smyth Post. No. 1, Wilmington. 70 men; T. A. Keables commander. Ghnnes 
Sumner Post, Wilmington. 75 men John Brown Post, Chester; Robert Auter com- 
mander. First Regiment Band, Wilmington, 20 pieces. Company B, 6th Keg., 60 
men, in command of Capt. F. G. Sweeney and Lieuts. Sparks and Campbell. ar- 
riage" containing Hon. William Ward, Benjamin G^rtside and Samuel Riddle, the 
two oldest and largest manufacturers in Delaware county; Major I). R. B. Nevin, of 
Ridley Park; H. G. Ashmead, W. H oss Brown. H. B. Black, President of City Coun- 
cil; Rev. Thomas Kelley, Rev. George C. Moore, Joseph McAldon, Andrew Hudson, 
John w. Martin Burgess of North Chester; Henry C. Shock, Edward S. McKeever, 
Genrge B. Lindsay, Col. David F. Houston, Major Joseph R. T. Coates, Orlando Har- 
vey, Samuel Oglesby and Henry Riddle. 

FIFTH I'lVISION.— Mar«7i.aJ, G. P. Denis. Aids, C. Peters, Jr.,E. S.Worrell, 
William Irving, James Field, G G. Leiper, William Shaw, E. Irving, Sumner Esrey, 
C. W. Andrews. Harmony Band, of Thurlow, 18 pieces, steamship City of Tokio. 
Chester Boiling Mills, 400 men, with puddling furnace and hammer; X.J.Houston, 
Marshal. Peun and companions; Bridgewater display of zephyrs; E. R. Worrel , oil 
cloths; Wilcox & White, organs; hester Dock Mills, zephvrs and calicoes; E. D. 
Sparks & Co., belts, etc.; Joseph Messick, furnitAire; E.M.Bruce & Co., Estey or- 
gans; J. A. Cardwell, furniture; Great National Tea Company; G. P. Denis, cassi 
meres, etc.; Broad Street Mills, colored goods, and 30 men dressed in the ticking made 
at the mill, William B. Stevens, Marshal; James Bowers & Son, cotton and wool, in 
bales; John Armitage. tar, etc.; Chester City Stove Works; D. S. Bunting, 6 coal 
wajrons; The Irving & leiper Manufacturing Co., cotton in bales, etc.; Powhattan 
Mills, No. 3, cloths; South Chester High Flyers; Lewis, Kurtz & Co., groceries; F. O. 
Goodwin, lightning rods; J. S. Schlanka, bread; Model of the old Penn house at Up- 
land; Crozer's Upland Mills; Lukens & Compton, dry goods, etc.; O. T. Pancoast, 
printing press at work; Griflith & Co., furniture; M. Ocheltree, carriages; smith shop; 
Springville Mills. 

SIXTH DIVISION Marshal, Ch&rles Cavanaugh. J ids, W. H. Graham and Jo- 
seph Waddell. Kelleyville Band, 2u pieces. William Penn, in a barouche, F. D. 
Graham. Butchers mounted, 149 men, wearing white smock, high hat and blue sash. 
George Wunderlich and William Worrell, the oldest butchers m Delaware county, in 
carriages. Burk & Stewart's wagons; Thomas Johnson's wagon; Edward Firth's 
wagon; six mounted men. 

The parade was one of the largest ever witnessed in Delaware 
County as well as the most orderly and well managed. The proces- 
sion moved up Third to Market, to Fifth, to Morton avenue, to 
Broad, to Madison, to Twelfth, to Edgmont, to Seventh, to Kerlin, 
to Third, to Broomall, countermarching on Third to Kerlin, to 
Second, to Penn, to Third and dismissed. 

Some of the important features of the different divisions may be 
noticed as follows : 
In the first division the different tribes of the organization known 



288 Bistorical Sketch of Chester. 

as Red Men received deservedly a great deal of applause for then- 
appearance and excellent deportment. They composed the entire 
division and with invited guests made a very fine display. 

The second division, composed entirely of firemen, eliciterl much 
admiration for their gentlemanly bearing and good marching The 
Volunteer Fire Association, of Philadelphia, drew after them an en- 
gine with a history. It was a small, stoutly built machine of wood, 
with a single pipe, capable of throwing a stream thirty feet It was 
built in England and brought to this country in 1748, and was pre- 
sented in 1866, to the William Penn Hose and Steam Fire Company, 
No. 18, by the Ex-Union and Slambank Company, of Salem, Mass. 
Three months ago the Penn Company gave it to the Volunteer Fire 
Association. The engines and carriages of the different companies 
were very tastefully decorated with garlands of flowers and flags. 
The men looked and marched well, and while expressing admiration 
for the appearance of the visiting companies, it must be said that 
our own firemen were not a whit behind them in any point. 

The third division was a most interesting one, composed chiefly 
of the resident and visiting T. A. B. Associations and civic organi- 
zations. Larkin Circle, No. 66 and G-ood Intent Circle, No. 75, 
B. U. were conspicuous, and the Caledonian Club, of Philadelphia, 
and Robert Burns Club, of Chester, with the Scotch band, were the 
recipients of much flattering notice. The T. A. B, societies turned 
out in large numbers and our G-erman fellow citizens were a mark- 
■ed feature in this division. 

In the fourth division the Pennsylvania Military Academy Cadets, 
Companies B, of Chester, and H, of Media, 6th Reg. N. G. P., and 
Post Wilde, No. 25, G-, A. R., with visiting posts were much ad- 
mired and formed certainly a very important part of the parade. 

In the fifth division all the different trades were represented, 
and some of the designs were novel and interesting, notably those 
of Q-. P. Denis, Shaw, Esrey & Co., J. Wm. Lewis & Co., Irving & 
Leiper, and James Stevens. The latter, besides having a wagoK 
filled with ticking, had thirty men in line dressed in suits of the 
same material, cut by Robert Adams & Co., of Philadelphia, and 
they attracted much attention. The men were in command of W. T< 
Seth, captain, and J. K. Knott, lieutenant, and were drilled on the 



The Celebration. 289 

street. The model of the steamship "City of Toklo," from Roachs 
ship yard, was wreathed in flowers, and was drawn by four stout 
horses. It attracted much attention. The masts were too high to 
pass under Seventh street bridge, consequently the ship had to be 
taken around to Seventh and Penn streets, where it rejoined the pa 
rade. The model of the Pusey House at Upland, built in 1683, put 
in line by the Messrs. Crozer, was an attractive feature. The butch- 
ers held a position of honor in the sixth division, the rear of the line, 
and were a fitting conclusion to a procession of upwards of six thou- 
sand men. 

The Volunteer Fire Association, of Philadelphia, were the guests 
of the Chester Fire Department; the Vigilant, of AltoOna, and the 
Junior, of Keading, the guests of the Hanley; the Washington, of 
Conshohocken, and the Montgomery Hose, of Norristown, the guests 
of the Franklin. All were cared for by the above companies. The 
West Chester Temperance Cadets, and the visiting T. A B. societies 
were the guests of St. Michael's. They were handsomely entertain- 
ed at the latter's room over the Post Office. Post Wilde received 
two hundred visitors and lunched them in Thomas' Hall. The Red 
Men had a great many visitors whom they entertained most hospita- 
bly and concluded the day's festivities by a ball given in Armory 
Hall, which was largely attended and enjoyed to the utmost. 



THE EVENING. 

In the evening a fine display of fireworks took place at the corner 
of Ninth and Parker streets, which was witnessed by a great many 
people. The display was arranged by Prof Jackson, under the di- 
rection of the Sub-Committee on Fireworks and v/as, like all the 
rest of the celebration a success in every way. Every thing went 
off on time and to the general satisfaction. 

Throughout the day, from beginning to end, nothing occurred to 
mar the pleasure of the occasion and everything moved as smoothly 
as if Delaware County had been in the habit of celebrating Bi-Cen- 
tennials every year. There was no disorder and very little drunken- 



290 



Historical Sketch of Chester. 



ness, if indeed, any that could be fairly called so at any time during 
the day or evening. All were determined to make the day a plea- 
sant one and the citizens of Chester and Delaware County may well 
feel satisfied with and proud of the manner in which the Bi-Cen- 
tennial anniversary of the landing of William Penn on the shores of 
Pennsylvania, was observed in Chester. 




Final Work of General (Committee. 291 



FINAL WORK OF GENERAL COMMFrTEE, 



Monday, Movemier 13, 1882. 

THIS evening a final meeting of the Penn Bi-Centennial Com- 
mittee of Chester was held in Council Chamber, Chairman Bar- 
ton presiding. There was a fair attendance and the Committee pro- 
ceeded at once to settle up its affairs. The first report was by the 
Finance Committee, Dr. R. P. Mercer, Chairman, who made the 
following statement of the collections: 

p'ennsylvania Kailroad Company...$500 00 J. A. "Wallace, South Ward 24 00 

Phila., Wll. & Bait. R. R. Co 250 00 J. H. Kerlin, Lower CMchester 10 00 

E. P. Mercer,South Ward &Upland 313 i Ellwood Hannum, Concord 8 75 

D. C. Abrams, Radnor 250 00 William Rhodes, Newtown SCO 

W. H. Eves. North Ward 203 50 Prof. C. F. Foster lo ( 

Richard Miller, North Ward 173 00 John Roach 100 00 

W. J. McDowell and G. O. Yarnall, Eddystone Manufacturing Co 50 00 

South Chester 168 00 William Simpson & Son 50 00 

I. H- Mirkil, Middle Ward 133 00 

B. P. Baker, Middle Ward 103 50 Total by Finance Committee..$2,569 75 

C. S. Esrey, North Chester 75 00 Proceeds from sale of lumber in 

B. M. Custer, Ridlev 40 00 stands..... 103 75 

William H. Martin, North Ward 25 CO School Board, for music stand.. 15 00 

Samuel Rhodes, Aston 25 00 

H. R. Manley, Media 25 00 Total $2,690 50 

-J. Hunter Moore, Marple 25 00 

The amount, |2,690 .50, is exclusive of $400 appropriated by City 
Council for entertainment, which would make $3,090.50 entire re- 
ceipts. 

The report was accepted and on motion of H. B. Black, the 
thanks of the Committee tendered the Finance Committee for their 
successful labors. 

The report of the Secretary was then read, showing $2,690.50 re- 
ceived by the Finance Committee, and appropriations amounting to 
$1,767.51 paid, leaving a balance of $922.99, which the Executive 
Committee recommended be appropriated to the different societies 



292 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

having visitors, and to defray the cost of erecting stands and others 
expenses. This absorbed the entire amount contributed, and set- 
tled up the affairs of the Committee in a satisfactory manner to all 

The Chairman, Mayor Barton, took occasion to thank the mem- 
bers of the Committee for the hearty co-operation extended to him 
and all the officers of the Committee. 

On motion of D. M. Johnson a vote of thanks was tendered H. G. 
Ashmead, Wm. Shaler Johnson and other members of the Historical 
Committee for their valuable services. 

Dr. Mercer then moved that a vote of thanks be tendered the Sec- 
retary, J. Craig, Jr., for his services. D. M. Johnson moved to 
amend by extending the same courtesy to the Chairman, Mayor 
Barton, and Treasurer, H. B. Black, which was adopted, and the 
motion, as a:mended, passed. 

The Committee then adjourned sine die. 

This meeting in the business like simplicity and brevity which 
marked it formed a very fitting conclusion to the work of the Gren- 
eral Committee. Where all was done so intelligently and efficiently 
it may seem invidious to draw special notice to any Sub-Committee 
or individual, but it must be acknowledged that to the trying and 
often self-sacrificing efforts of the Chairman of the Finance Com- 
mittee, and those of its members who actively interested themselves 
in the object, and to the Chairman and members of the Executive 
Committee, whose duties were discharged with exceptional imparti- 
ality and tact, is due in a large degree the success which attended 
the work of the Greneral Committee. 



4 



H 



UNVEILING OF THE 



./Voveinber 9th, 1882 



<¥ 




THE PENN MEMORIAL STONE. 



The Memorial Stone. 295 



THE MEMORIAL STONE. 



Kovewiber 9, 1882. 

Ci ERTAIN gentlemen connected with the Historical Society of 
j Pennsylvania and the Penn Club wishing to celebrate in some 
appropriate way the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Landing of 
William Penn, it was decided to do so by placing a Memorial Stone 
at the actual spot where the landing occurred in Chester ( then Upland, ) 
the planting of trees and a few simple commemorative observances. 
The time fixed for the occasion was the 9th of November, 1882. 

The following circular was issued by the gentlemen signing it 
who acted as a Committee of Arrangements : 

Philadelphia October 31, 1882. 
It is intended to celebrate on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER gth. 1882, under the aus- 
pices of a number of gentlemen, chiefly members of the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania and the Penn Club, the Two Himdredth Anniversary of the first landing of 
William Penn, within the bounds of the present State of PennsyKania, at Chester, 
on October 28th, 1682, O. S. 

The ceremonies will consist in the setting of a Memorial Stone on the place where 
Penn landed, the planting of trees, and a commemorative address. 

At the close of the ceremonies, the party is invited to a luncheon at Codnor Farm, 
the residence of Col. Frank M. Etting. 

A special train will leave Broad Street Station of the Pennsylvania Railroad, at 9.30 
o'clock, A. M., precisely, and will return in the afternoon, reaching Broad Street at 
5.30. P. PEMBERTON MORRIS, 

LLOYD P. SMITH, 
lOHN CADWALADER, 
"ISAAC MYER, 
CHARLES CHAUNCEY, 

Com7niitee . 

The names of those from Philadelphia accepting the invitation 
were as follows : 

P. Pemberton Morris, Cadwalader Biddle, 

Charles J. Stille, Samuel R. Shipley, 

Robert Pearsall Smith, John A. Clark, 

Charles Chauncey, Dr. Thomas Wistar, 

George M. Conarroe, E. Hunn Hanson, 

Charles H. Hutchinson, Benjamin G. Godfrey, 



296 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Frederick Brown, Clifford P. MacCalla, 

J. M. Power Wallace, Thomas Meehan, 

W. Moylan Lansdale, Macgregor J. Mitcheson, 
George Crump, H. B. M. Vice Consul. Charles S. Keyser, 

Thompson Westcott, Justice Cox, Jr., 

Louis C. Madeira, Charles H. Cramp, 

L. Logan Smith, Edward Wetherill, 

John A. McAllister, Charles W. Ale.xander, 

John Biddle Porter, Edward R. Wood, 

Stuart Wood, R. Francis Wood, 

Lloyd P. Smith, Craig D. Ritchie, 

Samuel Chew, Samuel L. Smedley, 

John Cadwalader, Jacob E. Barr, 

Charles M. Morris, J. M. Stoddart, 

George BHght, R. M. McWade, 

Henry S. Lowber, B. Frank Clapp, 

Samuel Wetherill, C. H. A. Esling. 

Isaac Myer, William B. Smith, 

Samuel | Sharpless, James Bateman, 

Robert W. Smith, J. Sergeant Price, 

Dr. James J. Levick, EH K. Price, Jr., 

Thomas Stewardson, Henry T. Coates, 

E. Dunbar Lockwood, Howard M. Jenkins, 

Robert Coulton Davis, Robert Lapsiey Pyle, 
and Roose Jafirn from the Hague. 

The morning of the Ninth of November dawned brightly and was 
succeeded by a pleasant autumn day. At half past nine the gen- 
tlemen above mentioned took a special train on the Pennsylvania 
Railroad, and after an enjoyable ride of half an hour reached Ches- 
ter. Here they were received in a very informal way by His Honor 
Mayor Barton and the City Council, with a number of the promi- 
nent citizens of the town and escorted to the ground, foot of Penn 
street, near the residence of Ex-Mayor J. L. Forwood. Col. Frank 
M. Etting, of Concordville, a gentleman who had taken much in- 
terest in the suec ess of this celebration, met the party at the depot^ 
as did also other residents of Delaware county. 

The Memorial Stone had been erected on the Eighth of Novem- 
ber, the preceding day, and was covered with the National flag. 
Permission had been previously obtained from the city authorities 
.and the owners of the adjacent property to place the stone on and 
within the curb line, on the northerly side of Front street, which 
would bring it within a few feet of the actual place where William 
Penn landed. The stone was of granite about five feet high and 
three feet by two feet at the base, weighing over two tons. On the 
northern or inner face was a marble tablet on which was cut the 
Coat of Arms of Penn and the words, "This Stone marks the spot 
where William Penn landed October 28—29, 1682." 



The Memorial Stone. 297 

The stone, which was designed by John Struthers, of Philadel- 
phia, was set upon a foundation of solid masonry, five feet square 
and three feet deep, the whole resting upon two thicknesses of 
heavy planks laid transversely 

Upon reaching the ground the party found a large number of spec- 
tators assembled, and all were soon gathered about the stone. 

Mr. CHARLES S. KEYSER, as Director of the Ceremonies, then 

said : 

Citizens of Philadelphia and Chester : 

The Committee by whom this Memorial Stone has been set here, 
has requested me to say that the ceremonies arranged for the occa- 
sion will consist of a transfer of the Memorial Stone and the plant- 
ing of three trees beside it, so as to mark the spot where the Founder of 
our State first set his foot on the soil of his province of Pennsylva- 
nia, this day, two hundred years ago. The Committee will tender 
this granite record to the city of Chester, to be kept in the care of 
its authorities and citizens, in grateful remembrance of an event of 
such great import to humanity. They first desire me to request Rev. 
Henry Brown, D. D., Rector of St. PauPs, the oldest historic church 
in Chester, to ask the Divine blessing upon what shall here be done. 

Rev. Dr. BROWN offered the following prayer: 

Almighty God our Heavenly Father, who dost govern all things 
in Heaven and earth, we desire to recognize Thy good providence, 
which hath been over us from the beginning of our existence to the 
present hour. We thank Thee for our creation, preservation and 
all the blessings of this life, for the means of grace and for the hope 
of glory. 

We bless Thee that the lines have fallen to us in pleasant places, 
and for the privileges we enjoy as citizens of this renowned Com- 
monwealth, protected in our civil and religious rights, under wise 
and just laws, giving to every man freedom of speech and liberty of 
conscience, with none to make us afraid And while we acknow- 
ledge with gratitude, Lord, our indebtedness to Thee for the mer- 
cies we enjoy, may we not forget how much we owe to the fathers 
who preceded us, and especially to Thy honored servant, the Pro- 
prietor and first Grovernor of the great State of Pennsylvania, who 
based his government upon those principles of truth and righteous- 
ness which are the only sure foundations of States and kingdoms, 
and upon which Thy favor and blessing may be expected. 

We come this day to rear a monument to William Penn — who 
two hundred years ago landed on this spot— that it may remind us, 
our children and our children's children of the good deeds, and use- 
ful life, the integrity and uprightness of one who ruled in Thy fear, 
under guidance of Thy Spirit, for the welfare of his fellow men. 



298 Historical Sketch of Chester 



And now, our Father, as we know that except the Lord build 
the house, they labor but in vain that build it; except the Lord keep 
the city, the watchman Avaketh but in vain ; we beseech Thee to 
look favorably upon our present work, and preserve this monument 
from harm and destruction, that it may long stand a tribute of 
grateful praise to the memory of him whom we thus delight to hon- 
or, and when the waste of time and the ravages of storms shall sweep 
over it, and it shall be tending to decay, as all earthly things must, 
may others be found to revive and restore it, so that in future gen- 
erations many may rise up to call him blessed, who sought to pro- 
mote peace on earth and good will to men. And now, God of our 
fathers, take us all under Thy protecting care and love, this State 
and nation ; our rulers and our whole people ; direct us in all our 
doings, and further us with Thy continued help; enable us all faith- 
fully to discharge our duties, and grant us Thy peace upon earth, and 
save us at last in Thy kingdom in Heaven, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

After a few minutes of impressive silence Mr. Keyser said : 

CHARLES J. STILLE, LL.D., will now, on behalf of the Commit- 
tee, tender this Memorial Stone to the city and citizens of Chester. 

Dr. Stille said: 

Mr. Mayor and Citizens of Chester: 

I have been asked to take the place of the Mayor of Philadelphia 
(who is necessarily absent) in performing the simple but pleasant duty 
of presenting this Monumental Stone to the city of Chester You are 
happy, Mr. Mayor, in having within your jurisdiction the very spot on 
which William Penn, the great founder and law-giver of a Connnon- 
wealth, now numbering more than five millions of people not sur- 
passed in prosperity and general intelligence by an equal number 
on the earth's surface, first landed when he came to these shoi-es. 
The donors of this monument, many of whom are the descendants of 
the friends and companions of Penn, wish to place upon this spot a 
lasting memorial of the great event and they intrust it to your care 
and custody, not doubting that you in common with all Pennsylva- 
nians, will take pride in preserving such a land mark. 

We are all citizens ot a State whose population unlike that of 
many of the old thirteen, is of a somewdiat composite character, 
many races of people having contributed their share to make it what 
it is. Before William Penn was born we had on this very spot 
the loyal, Grod-fearing Swedes and their tolerant spirit and their 
merciful treatment of the Indians; then the Dutch who though con- 
querors of the Swedes lived afterwards in perfect harmony with 
them. These prepared the way for the great work of Penn, which 
must be considered as absolutely unique in the annals of history. 
Then we had the Germans, sturdy Protestants of the Palatinate and 



The Memorial Stone. 299 



Swabia, who have given to the State any conservatism which was 
lacking in the Quaker element, and lastly that great race, the Scotch- 
Irish settled like our own Alleghenies from Northeast and South- 
west, and forming at all periods of ovu* history the moral, as our moun- 
tains do the physical, back bone of the Commonwealth. 

All these races join to-day within our border, with the universal 
sentiment of Christendom, in honoring the memory of William Penn. 
It was his character that shaped our destiny, and the spirit of his 
laws more than any thing else which has made us one people. To- 
day as we try \o recall the scene of his landing here and think how 
friendly Swedes and Dutch and Indians met him on a day like this, 
when the soft breeze and the hazy light of the Indian summer made 
him feel that he had found in very deed a new world, then think 
upon all the blessings of the last two hundred years, let us be thank- 
ful, striving to cherish his memory and follow his example. 

On the conclusion of Dr. Stille's remarks the drapery covering 
the stone was removed by William Shaler Johnson amid applause, 
and then Mr Keyser said : 

His Honor JAMES BARTON, Jr., the Mayor of Chester, will 
represent the City and citizens on this occasion. I have the honor 
to introduce him to this assemblage. 

Mayor Barton said : 

Gentlemen representing the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the 

Penn Club of Philadelphia : 

In conformity to the jjurposes of your organization to preserve 
to posterity the landmarks and valuable historical facts connected 
with the history of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you 
have caused this Memorial Stone to be set upon the spot where 
William Penn, its founder, landed. 

In the name of the City of Chester I accept it from your hands, 
and in doing so I beg to assure you that we shall endeavor to guard 
it from vandalism, and protect it, to the extent of our power, from 
the ravages of the elements. But although it may crumble so that 
the generations that come after us may not even recognize this spot, 
the influence of the teachings of William Penn's character and writ- 
ings will continue to roll down the centuries gathering strength 
from time and continually, though silently, leading men to highef 
and nobler aspirations. 

(jrentlemen, I extend to you a cordial welcome to our city. 

Mayor Barton having thus accepted the memorial on behalf of 
the city government, Mr. Keyser introduced the Hon. WILLIAM 
WARD, Representative in Congress from this District, who spoke 
as follows, representing the citizens at large in his address: 



300 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Dr. Stille: — His Honor, Mayor Barton, in fitting language has 
given you official welcome to Chester, and accepted this Memorial 
Stone into the custody of the municipality. I have been delegated, 
as the representative of the great body of people at large, to ex- 
press to you and to the other gentlemen contributors of the His- 
torical Society and the Penn Club — the high appreciation felt by 
our citizens for this magnificent memorial; and their pleasure in 
being permitted by your invitation to join in the ceremonies. 

We have long known of your societies as the industrious and 
faithful chroniclers of the traditions and history of the State; al- 
ways forward in every movement that promised its advancement. 
You have given us here a new evidence of your spirit. 

What a scene surrounds us and what memories does it create. 
Looking back through the vista of years — on this spot at this mo- 
ment — the Present and the Past are before us. Look at the myriad 
white-winged messengers of commerce; behold the black smoke of 
the blast furnace, the rolling mill and foundry; listen to the clang 
of t,he hammers in the shipyard, and the hum of the looms and 
spindles in the factories that surround us on every side; see above 
us the telegraph wires bearing intelligence with a lightning flash; 
we are standing on the iron rails that form part of a railroad system 
thousands of miles in length, carrying the iron and coal from the 
far off" mountains to the waters' edge. Read in all these living 
signs now in your vision the history of centuries of progress. All 
has changed from this day two hundred years ago, when William 
Penn landed on this spot. No, all is not changed; the same sky 
and the same sun are over us, and the same river that brought him 
to the landing place, to-day flows on in the same channel to the sea. 
The small party composed of the settlers of diff"erent nationalities 
and of Indians that surrounded William Penn on this spot two 
hundred years ago, was vastly different from the large assemblage I 
now look upon, but both are alike in the characteristics of loyalty to 
country and Commonwealth and devotion to the rights of civil and 
religious liberty for all men. 

Glentlemen of the Historical Society. In the letter read at your 
banquet last night from Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, he described 
William Penn to be "no comet of a season, but the fixed light of a 
dark and graceless age shining on into the present — a good man 
and true." 

The glow of that lighc is shining around us at this moment, and 
let us here resolve that the observance of the principles of the 
Founder — which have made the Keystone State great and glorious 
— shall continue imperishable as this sky and sun under which he 
pronounced them on that day centuries ago, and implanted deep as 
the bed of the river on the bank of which he then stood where we 
are gathered. 



Ihe Memorial Stove. BOl 



Dr. Stille. The Mayor has assured you that this Stone will be 
:zealously cared for by the authorities of Chester. I et me assure 
you that it will have a surer and more sacred guard in the affec- 
tions of our people. There will be no brighter page in the Archives 
of your Society than the one which records the beauty of the senti- 
ment and the grace of the presentation which will make this spot 
marked by this Stone hereafter a Mecca, within the borders of the 
city of Chester, for the pilgrimage of the high appreciation of the 
liberty-loving, law-abiding and intelligent people. 

The address of Hon. William Ward concluded the first part of 
the exercises and Mr. Keyser then spoke as follows : 

In pursuance of an ancient custom the Committee now propose 
to plant three trees in memory of three men notably connected 
with the Founder's time and memory. The first of these men, as 
the most nearly connected with his work here, was James Logan. 
To the Founder he was the friend and companion — he was his re- 
presentative after his departure — holding, as their friend, the Foun- 
der's place with them to the hour of his death. So dear to them he 
was that when he was himself sinking under sickness, they said 
•^'when he dies may God send us just such another." 

I now call upon his descendant, Mr. LLOYD P.SMITH, to per- 
form this grateful duty. 

Mjr. Smith, taking the tree, a linden, and setting it in its place, 

jsaid : 

Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen : 

I have little or nothing to add to the very fitting words in which 
my friend Dr. Stille, on the part of the contributors, has dedicated 
this monument. His ancestors, like my own, were resident on the 
banks of the Delaware before William the Conqueror — if you will 
allow me so to designate him who conquered all hearts, and whose 
victories are more renowned than those of war — here set his foot, 
TheStille's of Upland and the Smith's of Burlington gave a welcome 
to the good ship Welcome and her precious freight. In their turn 
William Penn and his followers gave a welcome to the Welsh, the 
Mennonites,the Scotch-Irish, the United Brethren, the Schwenkfeld- 
ers, the Irish and the Huguenots. The learned orator has told you 
how the mingling of these diverse though kindred elements has made 
Pennsylvania what it is. But there was another element, small, it is 
true, but most valuable, which should not be forgotten. I mean the 
New England element. The presence of Napoleon on the field of 
battle was said to be worth ten thousand men to the French army. 
It would be hard to say how much the presence of Franklin in Phila- 
delphia added to the might of our native State. His manly, original 
and active mind; his extraordinary aptitude for affairs; his common 



B02 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



sense carried to the point of genius, his persevering patriotism have* 
left undying traces on the history of this Commonwealth. I have no- 
thing but Quaker blood in my own veins and T venerate the memory 
of the Quaiier Founder of this- State as much as any man, but I say 
they were too unworldly. Our dear old Commonwealth, with all the 
virtues of its founders, needed, it may be, the infusion of a more 
virile element and that it found mainly in the Scotch-Irish, but 
from the time of Franklin to the present day the men of New Eng- 
land, in small numbers, have been a most useful, a most valuable 
part of the population of Pennsylvania. We all remember Samuel 
Breck, the philanthropist, the legislator, the historian; the Ingersolls^ 
the Binneys, the Chaunceys are still with us, and I see around me 
some of New England blood whom I will not name — one of them a 
descendant of Iloger Williams, whom you all love and respect. Let 
us then on that Pennsylvania soil where two hundred years a; o the 
treaty with the Indians was entered into by our gi-eat Founder^ 
where one hundred years age the Continental Congress made an- 
other treaty between Sovereign States, let us on this ever memor- 
able occasion make a final treaty of peace with all our brethren.. 
United at heart it needs no prophetic eye to discern that this na- 
tion will soon hold the destinies of the world in its hand. 

Grentlemen, the Committee has asked me to plant a tree here in 
memory of James Logan, sometime Chief Justice of this Province, 
and the friend of Penn. The proper person to perform that duty is 
my worthy cousin Albanus C, Logan of Stenton, the hereditary Trus- 
tee and Librarian of the Loganian Library under the will of the 
Founder and the Act of Assembly of 1792; but as he is not here to- 
day, I will ask one who bears the name, my nephew, Lloyd Logan 
Smith, to help me in this pious task. 

I plant this tree in the name of James Logan, the Founder of the 
first free public Library, and I pray Grod, who alone giveth the in- 
crease, to bless the tree and to keep his memory green. 

Mr. Keyser, introducing Mr. Justice Cox, Jr., said: 

The second of these trees (an elm) the committee purpose to plant 
in remembrance of Captain Lasse Cock, as he wrote his name (Law- 
rence Cock,) a Swedish gentleman, as the Upland Eecords deter- 
mine him to have been, and very notable in his time. He was the 
interpreter for the first settlers and the interpreter for the Founder 
in his great Treaty with the Indians at Shackaniaxon. His descen- 
dant is with US; he represents a long and honorable line, and 1 call 
upon him, Mr. Justice Cox, Jr., to plant the second tree in his an- 
cestor's memory. 

Mr. COX, placing the tree in position, spoke as follows: 

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: 

I am proud to be here to-day as a descendant of the Swedes who 
were here to welcome William Penn and his party when they land- 



The Memorial Stone. -805 



•ed on these shores — to be here to testify to the love he had for the 
Swedes as his friends; and you will remember that history records 
that the Swedes formed his body-guard, and when he returned to 
England he sent his love to Peter Kock and Rambo, the two Swedes 
whom he remembered as his good friends when he landed on the 
Delaware. The Sweaes, like the Quakers of those days, lived in 
friendship with the Indians, and never were known to do any un- 
fair act to them. This was remembered by the Indians for many 
years after William Penn and the Swedes had gone to their long 
home. With all these memories in my mind to-day I now plant 
this tree, and I hope as it grows and becomes green in the return- 
ing summer, that it will be a fresh landmark to keep in our memo- 
ries and those of our children the return of this day and all that it 
has brought to us and to them. 

Before the earth was thrown in about the roots of this tree, Mr, 
Robert Coulton Davis, of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society 
of Pennsylvania, deposited among them four medals — one com- 
memorative of the Landing of William Penn, one of the Treaty 
with the Indians at Shackamaxon and two of the Bi-Centennial. 

Mr. KEYSER then said: 

The third tree (an ash) the committee propose to plant in memory 
of Anthony Morris, a follower of the Founder and himself the foun- 
der of a family beloved and esteemed in all the vicissitudes of war 
and peace through which the Province and the State have passed 
during the two centuries since he came. In the absence of Mr. 
Phineas Pemberton Morris, I call upon Mr. Samuel Chew, of Ger- 
mantown, to pay this tribute to the memory of a noble man 

Mr. CHEW, holding the ash in the place prepared for it, spoke 
as follows: 
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: 

You have conferred a great and unexpected honor in calling up- 
on me to take an active part in the Commemoration of the Landing 
of William Penn at Upland two centuries ago. The gentlemen who 
have preceded me have said so much of the past, and spoken so 
happily of its worthies who came with Penn, who welcomed Penn 
and who followed Penn and became, as it were, one with Penn, that 
I am sure you feel that nothing need be added to what they have 
said, and that you will permit me to say a few Avords to connect the 
past with the future 

You have already heard of Anthony Morris as an early follower 
of William Penn and his trusted friend. He was a good man. "Ye 
shall know them by their fruits." His children through all these 
generations have earned distinction and are to-daj' prominent in 
nearly every field of honorable and useful effort. In his memory I 



304 Historical Sketch &f Chester. 



plant this tree with the wish that it will grow and flourish and help 
to keep fresh and green in the minds of you and your children the 
commemoration we celebrate this day. I know that it can last but 
a few generations at most, and that it may be blasted by the se- 
verity of the coming winter^ but I have no such fear for the recol- 
lection of you and your posterity of the Founder of this great Com- 
monwealth and of his great characteristics — justice, piety and 
liberality — and I have no doubt but that these memories will in- 
cite and stimulate you and yours for countless ages in the future, 
as they have in the past, to imitate his virtues. 

Among the roots of this tree one of the Bi-Centennial medals of 
Chester was placed by Mr. William Shaler Johnson, and when the 
planting was finished Mr, KEYSER said: 

We have heard the representatives of the first Swedish settlers 
and the representatives of the Founder's followers. Permit me now, 
gentlemen, to introduce to you one who represents a Swedish an- 
castry, settle 1 on the Delaware in 1638, and a Quaker ancestry 
which settle 1 in New Jersey cotemparaneously with the arrival of 
William Penn. The committee have requested Mr. George M. 
Conarroe to address you and to read also a letter received from Johiir 
Gr. Whittier. It is an interesting feature of the last two observ- 
ances of our Bi-Centsnnial that the Bistorical Society of Pennsyl- 
vania should have received a letter from Alfred Tennyson,* the 
Laureite of the Crown under whose title our Founder came here^ 
and this Committee a letter from the Laureate of that whole bro- 
therhood of hummity whose first forvvard steps were made by our 
Founder in the government he established under that Crown. 

Mr. CONARROE said : 
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: 

I have been requested to read a letter from our distinguished 
Quaker poet, John Gr. Whittier, expressing his interest in our cele- 
bration to-day, written to my old friend Colonel Etting, and to say 
a few words. Mr. Whittier's letter refers in eloquent language to 

* 86 Eaton Square, London, S. W., March 3, 1882. 
My Friends: —I would have written ere this to thank you for the honor you have 
done me by asking me to write a few verses on the celebratian of the 200th Anniver- 
sary if the Founding of Pennsylvania, but I have had the gout in my right hand and 
writmg was impossible, and just now it seems to me that a verse upon anything is be- 
yond my powers, but does that matter much while you have your noble old Long- 
fellow still among you and other poets who might be more likely than myself to give 
you a strain that would not fall below the subject. I do not say that I may not make 
the attempt, but I cannot promise you anything except that I will be with you in 
spirit on the 8th of November and rejoice with your rejoicing, for since I have been 
unwell I have read Hepworth Dixon's life of your countryman and mine, William 
Penn, and find him as there portrayed no comet of a season, but the fixed light of a 
dark and graceless age shining on into the present, a good man and true. 
Believe me, yours very heartily, 

A. TENNYSON. 



2he Memorial Stone. 305 



our great Founder, and his sentiments of admiration are those in 
which we all heartily join. His letter is as follows: 

Oak Knoll, Danvers. Mass., lo mo., 8, 1882. 
Frank M. Etting, Esq. 

My dear Friend: — It is hardly possible for me to do more than send this greeting 
of my hearty sympathy with your celebration on the spot where William Penn first 
trod the New World, two centuries ago. What you propose on that occasion com- 
mends itself to my sense of what is due to the character and work of the great Foun- 
der of Pennsylvania. As the world wheels slowly but surely into the light and liberty 
which he anticipated in advance of his generation, it will more and more honor and 
revere the memory of a Christian and lawgiver, wiser and greater than those of Greece 
and Rome. Thy friend, 

JOHN G. WHITTIER. 

Reference has been made by some of the previous speakers to the 
composite character of the population of Pennsylvania. I may refer 
to the fact that this population has also been, more especially in I'hila- 
delphia, which for over a hundred years was not only the chief city of 
the Delaware but of this country, recruited largely from the families 
of the best settlers of our sister States of New Jersey and Dela- 
ware. At the time of William Penn's landing the settlements did 
not extend far back into the interior, but were principally clus- 
tered along and near the banks of the noble river now before us, 
and the inhabitants foriueJ a friendly and almost homogeneous pop- 
ulation, without much regard to present State lines. The territory 
comprising the present St ite of Delaware was long kno^vn simply 
as the Lower Counties on Delaware — New Castle, Kent and Sussex. 
Some of my ancestors used to cross the river in open boats from 
Penn's Neck, near Salem, to attend the cl^urch, built as early as 
1667, at the mouth of Christina creek — which stood, as Ferris tells 
us, on a beautiful spot close to the shores of the Delaware, so that 
the people from New Castle and Raccoon creek, (on which Swedes- 
borough was situated, ) as well as those on the banks of the Chris- 
tina and Brandywine could come almost to the church door in their 
boats From that time to this the friendly relations of these river 
communities have been maintained, and in nothing can the people of 
the Delaware river unite more appropriately and heartily than in 
paying honor to the memory of William Penn — whose beneficent 
principles, enlightened statesmanship, and services to humanity, 
are more and more appreciated as the centuries roll on. 

Mr. Conarroe having finished Mr. Keyser said: 

Dr, Levick is present here. He is well known for his researches 
into the characteristics and purposes of the first settlers of our State 
and will in conclusion give a proper place to the Welsh element 
which was not without its influence on its destinies and claiming 
even a remote ancestry in Wales for its Founder. I have the honor 
to introduce to you Dr. JAMES J. LEVICK. 



§06 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Dr. Levick spoke as follows ; 

Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen: 

Of the Welsh people, for whom I am so unexpectedly asked t© 
speak, I can truly say that they filled a very important place in the 
early life of this colony. 

There were, it is true, but few Welshmen on the "Welcome." 
Many had preceded the Proprietor, and a large number came soon 
after he did. Penn was very fon:l of the Welsh, and, it is said, 
claimed a Welsh ancestry for himself. He had on board the "Wel- 
come," as his pliysician, a Welshman — Thomas Wynne, "practitioner 
of physick," as, in his last will, he styles himself. For Wynne he 
had a warm personal regard, and gave his name to one of the prin- 
cipal streets of hisnew city, now known as Chestnut street. Indeed 
it is quite probable that Philadelphia owes the rectangular form of 
her streets to the Welsh town of which Dr. Wynne was a native. 

A very large number of the important offices of the young Com- 
monwealth were held by Welshmen. Thus, Dr. Wynne was Speaker 
of the first Provincial Assembly held in Philadelphia. Edward 
Jones was one of the first surgeons; Thomas Lloyd was the first deputy 
Grovernor after Penn; Glriffith Owen one of the earliest Mayors; 
Henry Lewis one of the first "Peacemakers," while the Roberts, 
Ellis, Cadwaladers, Owens, Georges and other Britons were 
then, as their descendants now are among her most useful and hon- 
ored citizens. It is, however, not to one race or to another, but to 
the harmonious blending and co-operation of them all that the 
wonderful development of our country is due. 

And now, one word to our friends of Chester, who have to-day so 
kindly received us. I do not wonder if it were on such a lovely 
day as this is, and if his reception were at all so cordial as this has 
been, that William Penn was a happy man whei he first came 
ashore at Upland My friend. Dr. George Smith, the historian of 
Delaware County, always regretted that the name of this place was 
changed to Chester. Knowing as I do that the old name of Upland 
has been retained in the higher lands back of the city, I cannot 
share these regrets William Penn was too good a classical scholar 
not to know that the old British town of Chester was but another 
name for Casfra — a camp — the old Roman camp, which it so long 
was. While obliging his friend Pearson, if that story be a correct 
one, there doubtless seems a peculiar propriety in giving the name 
of Chester — a camp — to the place where he was first to pitch his 
tent in his new domain. Unlike the old Roman camp this was to 
be a camp of peace. Could he see that Camp now he would find its 
officers, like himself and his comrades, men of peace, its tents filled 
with useful wares, its caissons carrying not cannon but calicos, and 
its artillery made up of hammers and of saws, of shuttles and of 
looms — a camp, indeed, after William Penn's own heart. 



Ihe Memorial Stone. .t307 

The address of Dr. Levick closed the formal or rather it might 
be better said, the informal ceremony of the day. Under the foun- 
dation of the Memorial Stone Samuel L. Smedley placed a small stone 
taken from the soil over Penn's grave in England. Then the party 
from Philadelphia, under the guidance of the Chester Committee, 
examined some of the historical buildings in the city. The site of 
the Essex House and the old well, the Boar's Head Inn, the old 
Court House and Prison, site of the House of Defence,' Graham 
(Hoskins) House, Logan House, Richardson House, tomb of John 
Morton, Friends^* Meeting House, site of Sandelands Double House 
and other places of interest were among the points visited. At half 
past twelve the Philadelphians took the special train for Codnor 
Farm, Col. Frank M. Etting's place near Concord, to which they 
had been invited. The party was accompanied by the following 
gentlemen from Chester and Delaware county : 

John Larkin, Jr., Adam C. Eckfeldt, 

William Ward, James Barton, Jr., 

H. B. Black, Rev. Henry Brown. 

Rev. Philip Mowry, D. M. Johnson, 

George B. Lindsay, Dr. Eilwood Harvey, 

John A. Wallace, Dr. Hilborn Darlington., 

George M. Booth, George K. Crozer, 
Dr. F. R. Graham, * P. M. Washabaugh, 

Dr. R. P. Mercer, Charles E. Hyatt, 

Dr. Samuel Starr, W. Ross Brown, 

Willia'ii Shaler JohnsoB, Joseph R. T. Coates, 

H. G. Ashmead, Edward A. Price, 

Henry B. Taylor, Oliver Troth, 

Joseph McAldon, Henry Palmer, 

Samuel Oglesby, James A. Hargan, 

R. A. Gilpin. 

The train reached Woodland station in good time and from thence 
a short walk brought the party to Codnor Farm and to the old stone 
mansion now the residence of Col. Etting. The walk was delight- 
ful, the scenery beautiful — all the glories of the autumn in shade 
and color, lending enchantment to the country wherever the eye 
turned, and when the house was reached a simple yet ample repast 
was served, followed by segars, and a stroll about the grounds by 
those who wished or visits to the stables and examination of the 
stock for those who took an interest in farm details. 

About three o'clock the party was assembled upon the piazza and 
lawn and Mr. N. W. Bennett, of Germantown, photographed the 
group, obtaining very good results. 



308 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



In these various ways and in pleasant talk the afternoon passed 
quickly away and about five o'clock, after kindly congratulations 
and adieus had been exchanged with the hospitable host, the party 
walked back to the train and in due time reached their homes in 
Chester an ■! Philadelphia, well pleased with the success of the day 
both ceremonially and socially. 

Among the letters of regret received were the following : 

Chadd's Fo*d, Pa., ii Mo., 1882. 
Esteemed Friend, Frank M. Etting .—Thy kind note, with programme of exercises 
to be held in Chester to morrow, was received yesterday. While thanking thee sin- 
cerely for the courtesy extended, I regret my inabihty to be present at what I have no 
doubt will be an interesting occasion. Hoping you may have a pleasant day and all 
will pass off well on the real anniversary of the .landing of that "great luminary in 
civil and religious affairs," William Penn, I am. Thy friend, 

Clement Biddle. 

The following is an extract from a letter of Benson J. Lossing, 

the historian: 

The Ridge. Dover Plains. N. Y., November 7th, 1882. 
Mv dear Colonel ; — I need not tell you how delighted I should be to accept your 
kind invitation to Codnor Farm, to participate in the sensible celebration of the Bi- 
century of the landing of the Founder of your State. But I am deprived of that plea- 
sure by an engagement which requires me to be in Hartford, Conn., to-night. I hope 
you will all have a good time as I know you will. Yours as ever, 

Benson J. Lossing. 

Major General Hancock writes : 

Governor's Island, New York, November 6th 1882. 

My dear Colonel : — I have your note of the 4th instant, inviting me to be present on 
the gth at the celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the landing of Wil- 
liam Penn at Chester. Pa . October 28 1682, (O. S.). 

On account of the sudden death a short time since of a very near relative, I have 
declined, for the present, all invitations to appear on social or public occasions: 
otherwise I should have accepted your invitation with great pleasure. 
» » » * * * * * 

With thanks for your courtesy in this matter, I am very truly. Yours, 

WiNFiELD S. Hancock. 



DUSTRIES 



OF THE 



MTY OF SHESTBRi 



1^ 



AND 



DELAWARE COUNTY, 
1882, 



Industrial Establishments, 311 



INDUSTRIES OF CHESTER AND DELAWARE 

COUNTY. 



THE compiler regrets that while the industries of the city of 
Chester and the surrounding boroughs will be found fairly com- 
plete in the following description, those of Delaware county, out- 
side of these limits, should be so meagre. Circulars were sent to 
all known industries of importance in the county requesting de- 
tailed information, but the returns made have, for some reason, 
been very few. He is obliged, therefore, to give a general resume 
of a part of those industries derived from the censes of 1880, for 
which he is indebted to the kindness of Hon. William Ward, of 
Chester, and such other detailed information as it has been possible 
to obtain, in the midst of other engagements. 

The primitive industries of this section at the time William Penn 
bought the Province were of a very simple character. Agricultural 
pursuits, the culture and exportation of tobacco, and her trade 
with the Indians, and fishing with some little exchange of com- 
modity with contiguous sections, seems to have been the extent of 
the business transacted by the primitive settlers. Later on the list 
of industries increases and during the next century and a half there 
was a rapid growth of all kinds of milling and other business. A 
grist mill was established at Upland, in 1683. The Ivy Paper 
Mills, in Concord, were established by Thomas Wilcox, in 1729, 
and others are among the first established. In 1826 a list of Dela- 



312 Historical Sketch of Chester. 

ware county industries showed: 38 flour mills, 53 saw mills, 5 roll- 
ing mills, 14 woolen factories, 12 cotton factories, 11 paper mills, 
2 powder mills, 1 nail factory, 4 tilt blade and edge tool manufac- 
tories, 1 power loom factory, 2 oil mills, 1 machine factory, 5 snuff 
mills, 2 plaster or gypsum mills, 3 clover mills, 3 bark mills, 1 mill 
for sawing stone. In all 158 mills and factories reported in Dela- 
ware county in 1826, more than half a century ago. 

The census returns of a part of the industries of Delaware coun- 
ty, for 1880, show a steady advance in all branches in the time 
named above. 

In this report 381 establishments are given. The invested capi- 
tal is $14,070,920; the average number of hands employed is of 
males, above 16 years, 6,711; of females, above 15 years, 2,885; of 
children and youths, 1,788. The amount paid in wages anually is 
$3,822,434; the value of material $10,872,672, and of products 
$19,161,663. 

It must be remembered that this report is only partial. It does 
not include the statistics of breweries and distilleries, coke, fishery 
products, flouring and grist mills products, gas and petroleum re- 
fining, the compilations for which were not completed, nor does it 
include the oil products and exports, which is a very large trade 
but which has been located in the county since the preparation of 
the census. It would be safe to accept $17,000,000 as the amount 
of capital invested in manufactures in Delaware county. 

The same report gives the following agricultural satistics : 

BE LA WARE COUJ\^TY. 

Improved land, tilled - 87,982 Acres 

" " meadow ,.» « 7,345 " 

Unimproved land, woodland 10,766 " 

" " other 1.''67 " 

Value of farms •• $18,437,570 

" farm implements • ■ 545,091 

« livestock. - 1,228,347 

Paid for repair offences. 117,668 

« fertilizers - '^o'^S^ 

Live stock of all kinds, numbers 38.121 

That is not a bad general showing and we should have liked to 
have supplemented it by a full description of every important in- 
dustry in the county, but as has been said the material has not 
come to hand. Below we give such returns as have come to us, 
beginning with — 



industrial EstablishmentB. ^IS 

CHESTER 



The Shipyards of John Boadh. 

"T^lie Delaware River Irou Shipbuilding and Engine Works is well-k-nowr. and Its 
Qtiistory and usefulness well recorded in tue large number of ships built there. The 
•works were first established by Reantry «& Son, in 1860. The manufact'ie now com- 
(prises iron shipSj engines and boilers, and the name of John Roach, the President, 
is a household word among all interested in American sh pbuiding. Jts value to the 
•community in which it is located cannot be over-estimated In it are employed 1,296 
men and 104 boys, whose weekly pay leaches the sum of $15,000. 'I'he present com- 
pany have operated thfi work-* for the pHst eleven years, and during this period sixty- 
four first-class ships and a large number of other vessels have been built and many 
large contracts for engines and boilers tilled. The yard is always an objective point of 
anterest to visitors to our city and its reputation is world-wide. ' 

Lincoln Manufacturing Company. 

The Lincoln Manufacturing Company is a stock i-ompany, with a paid up capital 
of SlOOjOOO, incorporated in 1881. The building is a brick structure, 190 by To feet two 
vstories high, fitted with all modern conveniences. The engine room and boiler house 
comprise another buikiing, 50 by 60 feet. Cotton yarns are at present manufactured, 
■but the companv expect in the near future to engage inweaving. The machinery, 
consisting of 6,840 spindles and 3 1 Foss-Pevey cards, is driven by a 2 hor.<e power en- 
gine, fed from a pair of double boilers Thirty-three bales of cot-ten are used per 
'Week, making from 12,000 to 13,000 pounds of yarr during the same space of time. 14 
imen, 20 women, 21 girls and 10 boys are employed at wages amounting to over gl,7i o 
per month. Howard W. Weidner is Superintendent. The Directors are; S. Emlem 
Meigs, President, of Philadelphia; halmers Dale, of New York.; A. Blakeley , Richard 
"Wetherill, and W. S. Blakeley, Treasurer, of thi.x cit;-. 

Keokuk Mills. 

The "Keokuk Mills" were st+rted at the foot of Fulton street, in 1852, by B. Gar- 
-aide & Son, tine present owners. The main building is a fins four story stone struc- 
ture, 38 b) 98 feet in dimensions, with picker house adjacent. These mills are sup- 
plied with good machinery, composed of four sets of cards, 80 looms and other neces- 
sary apparatus for making fine woolen jeans. A seventy horse-power engine is used. 
Employment is given to 7'» hands, about half of whom are male, and $i,zOu are paid 
monthly as wages. 3,0(r(! pounds of raw materialis consumed per week and 14,000 yards 
are manufactured per month. 

Victoria Mills, 

The Victoria ills. Fifth and Penn streets, were established twenty years ago by 
J'ohn Gartside & Son. They comprise two buiklings, one 12(i by 40 feet and the other 
120 by 30 feet, besides an engine house and picker room. They manufacture the best 
•quality of woolen cass meres and cloakings. The machinery comiirises24 broad looms, 
4 sets of cards and 2.1ii' spindles, together with all the necessary appliances to turn 
out good work. A fifty horse-power engine is used. 3,40' pounds of wool is consumed 
per week, making l,80ii yards of double -width goods. Fifty-four hands are employed, 
only fourteen of whom are females. $1500 are paid every four weeks in wages. 

Algodon Mills^ 

The Algodon Mills, at Eighth and and Caldwell streets, were established, in 1866 by 
J'ames Barton, Jr. , and Simeon Cotton. The latter i etired from the firm December 31, 
1875. The main building is loo by -5 i feet, three stories high, engine, picker and finish! 
ing rooms, boiler house and office In another building, 32 by 68 feet, two stories high* 
both stone. 32.500 pounds of cotton are consumed per month, producing ^ m o pounds 
of yarn and 24,000 yards of goods. The machinery comprises 92 looms, 4596 spindles 
and 7 40-inch cards, one engine and three boilers. 19 men, 28 women, ^ girls and 10 
boys are employed. $1800 in wages are paid per month. 

Chester Dock Mills. 

The manufacturing business of J. Wm. Lewis & Co., Third and Garfield streets, 
•was started, in 1853, by Phineas Lownes and J. Wm. Lewis, at Knowlton, Middletown 
township. In 1864 it was removed to its present location. The members of the firm 
are J. Wm. Lewis and Albert A. Boop. The main building is 251 feet long by 53 feet 
wide, three stories high, besides several other necessary buildings, all of stone and 



ST 4 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Ibrlck. 875,000 ponnds of cotton is consumed weekly in the manufacture of plaid OSiia=- 
burgs, g'nghams, checks and stripes. The machinery comprises 300 looms 8,040 spin- 
dles, 40 cards and 2 large engines, fed by 6 boilers. S6,8i0 are paid out every month to- 
75 men, 100 women, 50 girls and 25 boys. The weekly production is 90,000 yards of 
sloth and 15, "80 yards of yay. Thom-'s Clough, Sr.,-is'Superintendent. 

Yeadon Mill's. 

"YeadonMi Is."^ Tenth and Upland streets, are operated by ©. P.Denis. Thebusi'- 

1 ess was established in Conshohocken, by I>en'"s, Anderson & Co.. ia 1866, removed ta 
»)hester in 1870, and now occupies substantial stone and brick building, 130 by 20O 
feet, wit'i six smaller buildings a ijacert» ihe machinery is exceedingly fine, com- 
prising 38 broad Knowles & rom, toi- looms, 2,280 spindles, 4 sets Engle60 inch cards, 

2 woolen dres^sing machines, 3 fulling mills, I wai-her. 3 gigs, a broad shear, dyer and 2 
presses. A 120 horse power Corliss engine, fed by three large boilers, drives this ma- 
chinery. llwomeii,4-l girls and 19 boys are employe<1 at a weekly pay of $l,(i5<'. 2,600- 
pounds of raw material are used weekly in the manufacture of 3.250 yards of the best 
fancy cassimeres William Kuier is Superintendent. 

The Irving & Leiper Manvfaeturing Company. 

The cotton yarn mills of ' he Irving & Leiper Manufacturing Compa.'ny were es- 
tablished in April, I8fi9, by James Irving, David Irving and Thomas I. Leiper, with 
only 2,0 spindle". David Irving died in 1862. The business was continued by James- 
Irving Hnd Thomas I Leiper until 1878, when it was incorporated as The Irving & Lei- 
per IVianufacturing Company, with James Irving as President; Thomas 1 Leiper,. 
'I'reasurer, and <'harles H. Worthington. Secretary. The main building is 230 by 60 
feet, three stories high; engine room, 40 feet square; pifcker rooia, 4 i by SO feet, and a 
warehouse, 30 by 70 feet, all three stories high and built substantially oif brick. ]2,O0O' 
spindles and 76 ca^ds compose the machinery, driven by a 400 horse power engine, fed 
by six boilers. 29 men, 29 women, 29 boys and 20 girls a e employed. 3,000 bales of 
cotton are eonsumed in a year, giving a weekly production oi 2i!,000 pounds of manu- 
factured yarn. The works are at the foot of l^Tanklin street, occupying a square or 
ground, iames Irving, William Ward and Thomas I. Leiper are the Directors. 

Mohawk Mill. 

The Mohawk Mills, Third and and Fraiiklin streets, were started about 1856 by- 
Samuel Eee'es, Jr It passed through several ownerships until May 13, 1871, when it 
was purchM-ed by Robert Hall & Son. Mr. Hall first began manufacturing at Water- 
vil'e, in 3863 where he remained for eight years. The mnin building is 137 by 40 feet. 
2 stories high. It contains 2 sets of woolen cards, 48 inches, 2 self-acting mules, 330- 
spindles each, an<i 44 looms. 44 hands are employed, half of whom are males. 2700 
pounds of raw cotton and wool is consumed weekly, from which 3& produced 10,20®' 
yards of goods A 25 horse power engine and 50 horse power boiler are used. The wage* 
are S325 per week. 

S. A. Crozer & Son's Chester Mills. 

S. A. Orozer & Son's mill, on Edgmomt avenue, is comparatively a new industry in- 
Ehis location. It was es ablished by the lirm of S. A. Crozer & Son, the noted Upland 
manufacturers, and is situated on Edgmont avenue, north of the PostofBce and near 
Chester creek. The main building is of brick, 140 by 60 feet, two stories high, with 
picker room addition, 24 by 60 feet. They manufacture cotton goods and employ 15 
men, 45 women and girls, and 20 boys. The machinery consists of 6,336 spindles, 48 
cards and one Corliss engine with 3 boilers. The monthly pay roll is about $1,900. 50,-^ 
800 pounds of cotton per month is used, with a weekly production of 12,000 pounds of 
warp yarn. William D. Howard is Superinteadent. 

Broad Street MiUs. 

The hKil'tings at Broad and Crosby streets, owned by James Stevens and used for 
the manufactur ot bed tickisg, warps and cops, were originally built for a sash fac- 
tory ana machine sho — the tirst on Broad street, the second on Crosby street. In 
1856 they were u ert by James Campbell for the manufacture of cotton goods, and at 
his death, in 1862, passed into the hands of General Patterson, under the charge of 
James Stevens They reverted to Mr. Stevens in March,^ 1882. Since Mr. Campbell's 
time the buildings have been much enlarged and improved and the old machinery re- 
placed with new. The main mill on Broad street is 2 )6 by 28 feet, three stories high, 
and on t'rosby street, 222 by 36 feet. The latter is two stories high, with the exception 
of 6 teet, which is one story. In this part is the dye and finishing house, 6U by 60 feet, 
provided with a small engine am a pump for forcing water over the building in case 
of fire. ^ he machinery consist of 85 looms. 9,048 spindles and 16 cards, driven by two 
engines with two sets of boilers. 36 men, 47 women, 21 girls and 17 boys are employed, 
and the wages per week is $800. 35 bales of cotton per week are used, producing 25,- 
000 yards of ticking and 14,000 pounds of yarn. William B. Stevens is Superintendent. 



Industrial Establishments. "SIS 



A. Blakeley & Sons. 

TheArasapha Mills of Abraham Blakeley* Sons are located on Walnut street, 

■^hov& Tenth. Mr. Blakeley began t>u inesa in 1847, at Knowlton, in Aston township. 

"The firm was Lowndes & Blakeley. Lowndes sold to J. Wm Lewis, and in 1854 Mil 
No. 1 was established on the present sit-i, and additions were naade in 1,>74 and 1877, 
The main bailding is now 276 by 50 feet; the dye house, luO by 40 feet, with storage 
shed for 600 btlee of cotfon. Bed ticking, ginghams and cotton goods are m^nufac- 

••tured. The machinery comprises 2"6 looms, 8,500 spindles and 36 cnr>is. -driven bv a 
large Corliss engine, with three sets of boilers. All the machine work is done at the 

'mill, th«re being a separate machn® shop for the purpose. 3ii bales of c tton are used 
and 66.000 yards turned out. 67 men, 69 womem, 36 girts and 25 boys are employed , and 
$5,000 per month are paid in wages. 

Mlley Manufacturing Company. 
The Lilley .<& Sons' Manufacturing Company, Front and Franklin streets, was es- 
-tablishpd by John Lilley & Son, August 1, 1873, and on January 3, 1880, it was incor- 
porated under the above name, with John Lilley as President; William. Henry and 
George Lilley, stockholders. August 20, 1881, John Lilley died, and William l^illey 
was elected to fill his place, and John Lilley, Jr., Secretary and Treasurtr. The front 
building is 100 by i4 feet; building connecting front and back building. 81 by 36 teet; 
'Iback building, 122 by 40 feet. Cotton and woolen cloths and cotton yarn are manu- 
factured. The machinery consists of 111 looms, 3,252 spindles, 25 cards, with one en- 
gine and four boilers, one heating furnace, and the usual appliances of a cotton and 
woo'en mill, with a full set of machines for making warps 34 men, 36 women, 21girls 
and 12 boys are employed, at a monthly wage of $3,00 ). The amount of raw material 
is 12,000 pounds and the weekly production 25,000 yards. John Lilley, Jr,, is Superin- 
'tendent. 

Chester City Mills. 

The Chester City Mills. Front and Parker streets, were established, in 1877, by 
Branagan & Lamb. The main bulding is 40 by 42 feet, with picker house and other 

'Stru futures adjacent. The firm manufacture woolen and cotton jeans and woolen yarns 
exclusively. 90 looms. 1,700 spindles, 5 sets of cards and other necessary machinery is 
driven by a 60 horse power engine. 15 men, 5 women, 7 boys and 13 girls are employed, 
and $2,100 are paid every four weeks in wages. 1,030 pounds of yarns and 4,700 of cot- 

4on are wsedj and 85,000 yards of manufactured goods are turned out per month. 

Patterson Milla. 

The Patterson Mills, Sixth and Penn streets, were established by General Robert 
Patterson, in 1867, and now owned b-y his estate, i he m^in building is of stone, 318 bv 
".12 feet. Half of this is three stories and the other half two stories high, and there are 
store house-' and other buildings connected with it. The machinery consists of 306 
looms, about 14,000 spindles, 65 cards and one Corliss engine, with 8 boilers. 2i0 hand* 
are employed in the manufacture of cotton goods at a monthly wage of $5,000. 72,008 
pounds of cotton are used per week, with a weekly production of 64 600 pounds of goods. 
-James D. Davis is Superintendent. 

The Mill of James M. Stotesbury. 

The cotton yarn manufactory of James M. Stotesbury, corner of Fourteenth and 
Edgmont avenue, was established by Mr. Stotesbury in 1874. The building ts of stone, 
165 feet long by €2 feet wide, one story high. The machinery consists of i2 cards ani 
3,620 spindles, is of the most improved patternand is driven by a large engine fed from 
3 boilers. 28,000 pounds of yarn is spun monthly, consuming 32,000 pounds of raw cot- 
ton. 14 men, 8 women, 12 girls and 6 boys are employed, and the wages are S1,000 per 
month. Alexander Struthers is Superintendent. 

Bowers'' Shoddy Mill. 

The shoddy mill of James Bowers & Son was established in Waterville, in 1873, 
and removed to its present site. Sixth and Madison streets, in 1877. The main building 
is of stone and brick, 80 by 40 feet, two stories high, with engine house and store rooms 
attached. Prepared wools, shoadies and wun are made, employing 18 hands at $700 
per month. The material used is assorted waste, which is manufactured into wool 
valued at $10,000 per month. ' 

Log- Wood Milts. 

The Riverside Dye Wood Mills were established at Waterville, in 1S35, by Smith & 
Hartshorne, who were shortly succeeded by John M. feharpless, who remained at the 
head of the concern until his death, in 1875. The present firm is Thomas Scattergood 
Henry Palmer and John W. Pepper. During 1880 the business was removed to the' 



S16" Historical Sketch of Chesfen 



large and substintial buildings in the South Wa d. The dimensions of the main Biiila— 
ifags are 113 feet, front by 61 feet deep; the red wood mill. 47 by 54 feet, and the extract: 
buildings, 52 bv 50 feet, giving a total frontage of 212 feet and about 180 feet of wharf- 
age, witti a depth of 15 feet of water at low tide. The main and extract buildings are- 
four stories in height, and the adjoiTiing mill two and a half stories. 60 hands are em- 
ployed at fi/ yearly wage of about S30, 00. I his Is the only industry of its kind in the- 
State. 

Chester Chemical Works. 

The Chester Chemical Works, at the foot of Market street, were established by Mr.- 
McFntyre, and are now owned by George S. Coyne. Two large buildings, 100 by 50 feet 
arid one 50 feet square, and a n^imber of lesser struc''ures are on the grounds Two- 
stills of 5,0 nounds of muriatic aeid capacity per week, and' a nitric acid still of 1,- 
I 00 pounds I er week, are used in the manufacture of these two commercial acids, as- 
well as an amonia still of 20i» pounds capa ity per day, and another for making pyro- 
lignous acid. This latter acid is made from oak wood, a single cord furnishing InO gal- 
fens. Oxymuriate of antimony, muriate and oxymuriate of tin and muriate of iron are 
am -ng the products used for calico and other dyeing. About 700 barrels of Geauber's"- 
salts are annually made from the resid ue left in the muriatic acid stills. 6 men are- 
amployed at $60 per week. Robert Lidstone is Superintendent. 

Cocoa Mat and Matting Works. 
The Chester Cocoa Mat and Matting Factory was established in July, 1879, bj- 
Black & Worrell. Mr. Black retired from the firm , and Edward S. Worrell now occupies^ 
the old mill at the Water Works Wharf, which is thoroughly stocked with improved 
machinery 25,000 pounds of raw cocoa yai n is consumed, tu ning out over 70 dozen. 
inats and 1,200 yards of matting per week. 40 hands are employed, 11 of whom are- 
girls, and nearly all the work is done by the piece. $300 is the average weekly pay. 

Robert Wetherill <fe C&. 

T he foundry and machine shops of Robert Wetherill & Co., at 6th and Upland* 
streets, were started January 1, 1872, in a small machine shop, and have grown until 7 
large buildings, covering a square of ground, are needed for the business. 150 tons or 
pig iron, 75 of plate and 20 of wrought iron are monthly used in the manufacture of 
Corliss engines, boilers, shailing and gearing. 225 men and 25 boys are employed and 
monthly receive SIO.OOO in wages. The works comprise machine shops, smith shop, 
foundr-y, boiler shop, easting house, pattern shop, pattern store house, office and store- 
rooms. 

Edge Tool and Axe Factory. 

The Fd!?e Tool and Beatty Axe Company, of which H. B. Black is proprietor and" 
John C. Beatty. Superintendent, is one i>f the oldest industries in the county, having,- 
been first established in ShoemakerviHe, in 1806, by William Beatty. In 1840 he as- 
sociated with him his son, John C. BeatDy, under the firm name of ^'illiam Beatty Ss 
Son. At the death of William Beatty the business was continued by John C. Beatty. 
Owing to the failing of water power a d limited facilities, he built extensive works in 
Chester in 1871. The principal artic'es of manufacture are butchers, railroad andJ 
car penter.-s' tools. All tools made here bear the old stamp of William- Beatty <& Son. 
SO han-^s are employed and the monthly pay is $3,0D0. 

Chester Steel Casting Company. 

The Clresfer Steel Casting Company, Sixth and Norris streets, was started, in 1870, 
by S. M. Felton, A. R. Perkins, Amos Gartside and Samuel Archbold. It is novBf 
controlled by '. S. Waterman, Amos Gartside, E. P. Dwight and the estate of A. R. 
Perkins, deceased. The buildings consist of a foundrv, 200 by 50 feet, and other build- 
ings covering an area of 250 square feet. The busimess is steel castings and the ma- 
chinery consist of two engines with three boilers, one heating furnace and three an- 
pealing furnaces. 85 men and 15 boys are employed at a monthly wage of S5,000. The 
raw material used is 1,200 tons and the value of the weekly production $5,000. The 
character of the work stands high, the steel castings being well known for strengtb 
and durability. John J. Deemer is Superintendent. 

Combination Steel and Iron Company. 

The industry of the Combination Steel and Iron Company was started in Novem- 
ber, 1880. Operations were begun March 1, 1881, and since then large quantities of bar 
and flat iron of the best kind have been made. The mam building is 280 by 80 feet, 
with a wing, 80 by 70 feet. The works contain 8 heating furnaces, a rail mill with a 
yearly capacity of 30,000 tons; a 12 inch bar mill for making merchant iron, capable 



Industrial Establishments. 31 T 



of producing 6,000 tons a year, and a 20 inch mill for angle iron of 10,000 tons capacity, 
175 men are employed at $3,000 per week. John Roach is PreS'dent; Mr. Chalfant, 
Secretary; Charles A. Weed, General Slanager, and James W. Watson, Sup't. 

Eureka Steel Casting Company. 
The Kureka Steel Casting Company have been in successful operation at Lanokin 
station since September i877. They manufacture steel castings solely. The worksare 
large and substantial, furnished with every facility for carrying on an extensive busi- 
ness, 'i he principal appliances consists of one heating and 7 annealing furnaces, two 
shapes, plainer, &c. 80 men and 20 boys are employe ', 120 tons of raw material are 
nsed per month. Fred rick Baldt is superintent. 

Phoenix Iron Works. 

The Phoenix Iron Company, northwest corner of Seventh and Potter streets, was 
established in 1867. The main building is 100 by 50 feet, two stories high; the foundry, 
110 by 30 feet. They manufacture finishing machinery, fulling mill washing machines, 
tentering machines, stock dryers, dyeing ajid sizing machines, broad looms and gigs, 
the latter a patent which they control in this a"d seven European countries. The 
machinery is that generally used in such establishments, driven by one engine with 
one set of boilers. 27 men and 4 boys are employed and the weekly wages are $314. 

Chester Iron Works. 

The Chester Iron Works, on Second street below Market, were started, in 1850, as 
the Delaware Country Iron Works by William Trout & Co., and have since that time 
had several owners. On February 1, 1881, they were purchased bv H. C. Eyre & Co. 
The building of engines and all kinds of m^achine work gives steady employment to 60 
men. The main building is 110 by 38 feet, with an addition, 150 by 45 feet, besides a 
pattern building, 40 feet square. A large amount of pig, plate and bar iron is used 
weekly. The works are supplied with the most improved machinery, and the wages 
are $600 weekly. 

Blagg''s Brass Foundry. 

In the one story brick building, 16 by 36 feet, in the rear of 315 West Second street* 
is Frank Blagg's Brass Foundry, which was established June 1, 18i;0. 800 pounds of 
brass are monthly used in making castings. $400 worth of manufactured goods are 
produced every month. 

National Hydraulic Works. 

This industry is located at the corner of Sixth and Crosby streets, and manufac- 
tures a new hytlraulic ram of approved construction which may be applied to the fol"' 
lowing purposes: Irrigating land, supplying dairies, farms, dwellings, factories, en- 
gine>^, railroad stations, villages, &c. This ram combines the greatest simplicity with 
the greatest efficiency. The cylinder into which the water passes is i erfectly plain, 
and'is surmounted by an air chamber equally plain, which is held in place by keys 
driven under lugs attached to the cylinder. The impetus or waste valve is attached to 
a head at the outlet end of the cylinder, and is operated by a spring, to which is a regu- 
lating screw, by which ti e power of the ram is increased or diminished, according to 
the supply of water. It is more simple, durable and powerful than those of other con- 
struction,' and is rapidly growing in favor. Henry F. Morrow is the projector of the 
works. At the same place has also been established, in connection with this industry, 
another — 

The Excelsior Brass Works, 

Where is cairied on brass founding and finishing of every description. Car trimmings 
are a specialty, while nickel, silver and gold plating and polishing iadone in the best 
manner. Mr. Morrow is Manager. 

Chester Morocco Company. 

The Chester Morocco Company (Limited) is located on Edgmont Avenue, above 
Third street. They were established May 1, 1879, by Joseph R. T. Coates. The cor- 
porate name was adopted Kovember 1, 1881. The building is a four story frame, 76 by 
32 feet. The most improved machinery is in use, among which are 47 vats with a ca- 
pacity of 1,500 skins each; 2 tank tubs, giving the woiks a capacity of 50 dozen skim 
per day. 20 men and 1 girl are employed and the wages are $800 per month. 

Book Binding and Tablet Making. 
The Book Bindery of John Spencer is a mew industry in Chester. In the epiiiig 



318 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



of 1882 Mr. Spencer, proprietor of the Delaware. County Advocate, 517 and 619 Edgmont 
Avenue, placed in his establishment the necessary machinery for book binding. Good 
"Workmen are employed. A specialty is made of the manufacture of blank books. 

Branin's Carriage Works. 
The Carriage Works of I. P. Branin were estiblished in Phil idelphia in 1854, and 
were removed to Chester, in 1871, to tbe shops at Filth and Welsh streets, and again 
in May, 1876, to Sixth and Pine streets. A two story building, 8 ) by 84 teet, with an 
annex, 40 by 80 feet, comprise the shops, where are manufactured carriages and wag- 
onettes. 20 hands are employed. 

Stark^s Carriage Works. 
In May, 1879, Messrs. Davis & Stark established a Carriage Manufactory at Fifth 
and Welsh streets, and on October 1st, of the same year, Davis withdrew from the firm. 
Mr. Stark continued the business, turning out about fifty new carriages per week, be- 
sides doing a large amount of repair work. 8 men are employed, and $86 per week is 
paid in wages. 

■ Ocheltree^s Carriage Works 

The Carriage Manufactory of M. Ocheltree was first located ou Edgmont Avenue, 
in 187T, below its present site, but the increase of the business obliged Mr. Ocheltree, 
in 1879, to erect the present building, which is 120 by 4u feet, two stories, and is suii- 
plied with all the newest and best appliances for the manufacture of fine carriages. 
16 men and 4 boys are employed at an average weekly pay of $190, ard the annual pro- 
duction reaches $28,000. 

Taylor's Carriage Works 
The firm of W. & E. C. Taylor, corner of Twelfth and Eagmont Avenue, is the old- 
est in Chester. The grandfather of the gentlemen comprising the firm first established 
the business. The father succeeded him in 1882, and was later succeeded by the sons. 
It was first located at Fifth and Welsh streets, then at Sixth and Pine streets, and in 
1874 moved to its present location. The building is lid by 40 feet. From 6 to 12 hands 
are employed, and the monthly production averages about $500. 

E. D. Sparks <t Co , Oils and Belting 
In 1876, E. D. Sparks & Co. started in business at Sixth and Welsh streets, and 
shortly removed to 103 West Third street. They manufacture leather belting, lubri- 
cating and burning oils, and now occupy a factory and warehouse in addition to the 
store. The factory comprises two large rooms. 50 by 40 feet, fitted with the latest im- 
proved machinery. 8 men and 2 boys are employed. 

Wilby's Belting Works. 
Thomas Wilby, manufacturer of leather belring, established his business in 1878, 
and is now located under Holly Tree Hall. He has manufacture I some of the largest 
belts made. 6 hands are emploved at a weekly wage o $80 225 sides of leather are 
used per month, and the monthly production averages in value $2,500. 

Rowland & Nichols' Boiler Covering. 

In the third story of L. L. Lukens & Co.'s building. Edgmont Avenue, near Seventh 
street, Howland & Nichols manufacture top roll covers, and the amount of new ma- 
terial leather and cloth, the last all wool made especially for their business, used per 
month is between $500 and $600. The leather is of lamb, sheep and -calf. The weekly 
production is 8,000 covered rolls, and 4 hands are employed. 

Gould & Kay, Roller Cover ers. 
Gould & Kay began business at their present location, May 8, 1882, but the busi- 
ness had been conducted for seven or eight years before in the Patterson mill building, 
corner of Sixth and Penn streets. They manufacture top rollers and clearer cover- 
ings. The material employed is calf and sheep skin, of which about $150 worth per 
month is used, and the monthly production is valued at $300. 

Lukens' Grist Mill 

L L. Lukens & Co. began business on Sixth street, in 1877, and in June, 1879, re- 
moved to Edgmont Avenue, below Seventh street. In the main building, 70 by 30 feet, 
6 men are employed. In the building on Bdgmonn Avenue is an engine of 30 horse 
power, with one set of boilers and the best and newest appliances for the business, with 



Industrial Mstablishmenis. 319" 



a macbine sbop, in whicb all repairs are made. They have an elevator, the best ap- 
pliances for -nnloading grain, and the rnn is about 30,000 bushels of corn per annniu, 
and ottier grains im proportion. They also manufacture feed and unbolted flour. 

Candy Manufactories. 

The Candy Manufactory of George F. Cutler was established at Second street and 
Ooncord Avenue, in 1878, Hnd in 1879 was removed to 806 West Third street, and 538 
IW arket street. 5 men, 3 women and girls and 2 boys are employed, at weekly wages 
of *75 1,600 pounds of sugar and molasses, 125 cocoanuts, 100 pounds of shelled pea- 
nuts, 10 pounds shelled almonds, 15 pounds shelled walnuts, 5 pounds shelled filberts, 
5 p unds shelled creamnuts 25 quarts cream tor caramels, and a large number of mis- 
cellaneous artioles. are used in the manufacture per week, with a weekly production 
of over a ton of confectionery. George F. Cutler is Superintendent. 

William Bagshaw, in 1848, began business as a candy manufa cturer, inLeiperville, 
and in 1850 he remo* ed to Chester. He is located at 818 Edgmont Avenue. 

In the Candy Manufactory of William B. Rhoads, at 143 West Third street, 3,00a 
pounds of sugar and other articles in proportion are used per week, with a weekly 
pi eduction of 400 pounds .if confectionery. 

Hunter's Shoe Manufactory. 

Willi 'm Hunter began the boot and shoe manufacture under Edgmont Hall m 
IS'?, but in 1879 moved over Thompson's grocery store, on Edgmont avenue, where he 
has a room 70 by 20 feet, and employs 9 ha ds at about S90 per week. The raw ma- 
terial used is $9,000 per year and the yearly production is $18,000. 

Stroud & Co.'s Planing Mill. 

In 1871, John H.Stroud and Robert Booth established the sash factory on the south 
side of Front street and Concord Avenue. The machinery consists of one engine and 
boiler. 12 men and 2 boys are employed at a monthly pay of $600. 150,000 feet of lum- 
ber is used per year. In 1876 the mill was destroyed by lire and the firm then moved 
to their present location, corner Front and Concord Avenue. The main building is of 
brick, 45 by 40 feet, three stories, with a two story engine room, 25 by 20 feet, and a 
commodious office. The mill contains all the latest improved machinery. 

Penn Street Planing Mill. 

The Penn Street Planing Mill of Henry M. Hinkson, Fourth and Penn streets, is 
a two story brick building, 100 by 40 feet. Mr, Hinkson built the mill in 1875, and 
rented it to Miller Cox until 18S1. In May of that year Mr. Hinkson began the sash 
and planing business. 10 hands are employed and $100 per week is paid for wages. 
100,000 feet of lumber is annually made into sai^h, doors and other building material. 
A considerable amount of planing for the lumber yards of our city is done. 

Morton & Black. 

The Saw Mill and Sash Factory of Morton & Black was started in 1865. H. B. 
Black entered the firm about a year later and continued therein until 1879. The build- 
ing, situated along the river front at the foot of Morton Avenue, is 150 feet long, 40 
feet wide and two stories hiah, with a tire proof engine house, 30 by 60 feet, andoflces, 
stables, &c.,in the near vicinity. This mill employs 48 men and 2 boys, and consumes 
3,000,000 feet of lumber per month, besides planing and sawing. The monthly payroll 
is $1,250. William Hinkson, Jr., is Superintendent. 

Miller Cox's Sash Mill. 

The Sash Factory of Miller Cox was established September 1, 1576, at Fourth and 
Penn streets, but removed four years thereafter to the new mill at Seventh and Penn 
streets. The building is 104 by 32 feet, two stories high. 15 men are employed who 
annually turn out large numbers of sash, doors, blinds, frames, etc. 

Hn.milton's Box Factory. 

The box factory of John Hamilton occupies a brick building, 30 by 60 feet, at the 
corner af Front and Franklin streets. About 50,000 feet of lumber is consumed per 
month. 4 men are employed at $50 per week. The mill is fitted with all necessary 
machinery. Power is received from the Lilley Manufacturing Company adjoining. 

Barrel Repairing Works. 

The firm of J. J. Bradley & Co., of Philadelphia, have a branch here under chargd 
of William J. Bradley, at the foot of Market street. The business consists in collect- 



"?520 Historical Sketch of Cheste.i 



ing second-hand barrels and re-coopering them. The collection in this place amounts 
to 35,000 per annum, and of these 10,000 are sent to Wilmington and the balance, 25.- 
000, to Philadelphia. Tnis is the only establishment of the kind in Chester and em- 
ploys three hand« at a weekly pay of $25 

Franklin Street Kindling Wood Works. 

In 1878, A. B. Rees established a Kindling Wood Works in South Chester, and one 
year afterward h^ removed to the present location at foot of Franklin street. Five 
men are employed and $36 are paid every week for wages. 

Mast and Spar Sheds. 

The Mast and Spar Works of John Sanviile occupy a long one story buildinu it 
the foot of Fulton street. The masts used by Hoach's ship-yard re here hewn from 
the rough logs, besides the major part of i he work of this kind used on the river. $10,- 
000 worth of lumber is annually consumed. The white pine comes from Clearfiela 
county, in this State, and the spruce logs from Maine. Four men are employed and 
$100 per week in wages paid. 

Frice^s Brick Yard. 

The Brick Yard of J. C. & W. G. Price was established In 1854, on the site now oc- 
cupied by the mill of G. P. Denis. The present works are located on a seven acre 
tract of land at Fifth and Parker streets. 30,000 machine made bricks are produced 
per day. Three kilns are used and 20 men employed. $180 are paid weekly for wages. 

UFLAJVD. 

Grazers' Upland Mills. 
J. P. Crozer <& Son removed their business from Cr'izerville to the present location, 
in Upland, in 1844. The death of J. P. Crozer, in 1866, led to a division of the property, 
mills No. 1 and 3 being now under the control of J. P. Crozer's Sons, and mill No. 2 
under S. A. Crozer & Son. Mill No. 2 is a large and substantial brick and stone struc- 
ture, well fitted with all appliances for the manufacture of cotton plaids, checks and 
sheeting. There are 468 looms, 11,344 spindles, 76 cards, with engines of the aggregate 
horse power of 326. 305 hands are employed, and the pay every four weeks is $8,0ii0. 
1,133,294 pounds of cotton are used per annum and the yearly production is 9/, 820 
pounds of yarn, which is equal to 7,720,000 yards of cotton. Agur Castle is Superin- 
tendent. J. P. Crozer's Sons mills (Nos. 1 and 3) are located in Upland, as stated 
above. The main mill CNo. 3) is 330 by 60 feet, three stories high; engine room, 20 by 
40 feet, two stories high, and store house, 50 by 3ii feet, three stories high. Mill No. 1 
is 180 by 60 feet, four stories and attic high, with a three story addition, 8 by 50 feet; 
picker room, two stories. 60 by 30 feet; machine and repair shop, two stories, 50 by 30 
feet- fo'ding rooms, 50 by 60 feet, two stories; st ibles and wash house and other build- 
ings'. Dye house, 100 by 3 i feet; cotton house, 76 by 60 feet, and constructed of stone 
and brick. There is also a boiler and waste house to each of the mills. The machinery 
in the two mills aggregates 580 looms, 21,232 spindles, 110 36-inch cards, with engines of 
150 and 200 horse power respective y. 193 men, 170 women, 55 girls and 82 boys nre em- 
ployed the pay every four weeks being $14,000. 80 bales of cotton are used per week, 
and the yearly production is 1,142,000 pounds of No. 20 yarn. In 1881, 1,956,000 pounds 
of cotton were used and 9,605,600 yards of goods made. J. G. Steen is Superintendent. 

EDDYSTOJfE. 

Eddystone Manufacturing Company. 



Si , 

stone in 1874,'an(rin 1877 the Eddystone Manufacturing Company (Limited) was form- 
ed of which th old firm are the principal owners. The works were enlarged and the 
finest machinery introduced to make prints in all colors. They manufacture the noted 
Eddystone prints and cotton prints, as well as the Wm. Simpson & Sons' mourning 
prints for which the old tirm was so famed, the goods still retaining their high repu- 
'tation! There are 14 buildings in all, viz: Engraving and color rooms, 202 by 82 feet, 
one story; bleaching, 244 by 90 feet, one story; boiler house, 112 bv 72 feet, one story; 
cloth store house, 112 by .'50 feet, one story; white room, 107 by 84 feet, one story; west 
boiler house, '^02 by 72 feet, one story; south dye house, 202 by 92 feet, one story; north 
dye house, 223 by 92 feet, one story; finishing house, 300 by 60 feet, two stories; print 



Ivdustrial Establishmevts, 321 



rooms, 30n by 85 feet, three stories; Retort house, 90 by 90 feet, one story; machine 
shop, 150 by 60 feet, one story; planing mill, ino by 90 feet, one story; ptinip house, 60 
by 35 feet, one story; stable. 114 by 92 feet, one story. The 15 buildings mentioned 
cover, themselves, nearly live acresof ground. The machinery is of the most ai)proved 
kind for hlefi chine, printing, dyeing arid finishing. There are .54 engines with 37 boilers, 
consuming 25,' 00 tons of coal per annum. 503 men, 61 women and girls, and 160 boye 
are emploved, and the weekly production is :-iO,0()0 pieces of 48 yards each. 

Such an industrv as this liMs built up about it a thriving village. The liberalityof 
the company and of Mr. Simpson has m de this a delightful locality. The Lighthouse 
L'brary, a handsome building, containing a reading room, sn'oking room, and hall 
that will accommodate 300 people, built in Gothic style, and fini.'jhed in hard wood, 
with open timber roof, is only one of the evidences of tlie good taste and wisdom of the 
owners of the property. An admirable system of water supply, well laid out and well 
kept streets, comfortable homes for the operatives, together with the natural beauty 
of the location, make Eddystone one of the pleasantest places hereabouts. 

JVOBTR CHESTER. 

Powhattan Mills. 
On January I, 1864, Messrs. H. Shaw and D. R. Esrey began the manufacturing 
bU8ine.ss at Pendleton Mills, now Bridgewater. They succeeded Patrick Kelly. In 
September, 1866. thev removed to Korth Chester and buiit "Powhattan" No. 1 Mill. 
On January 1, 1878. the firm changed to Shaw, Esrey & Co , (Limited), with a capital 
stock of SaoO.OOO. No. 2 Mill was built in '871. and No. 3 in 1877. 'Ihey have an aver- 
age dimension of 130 by 55 feet each, ^ ith dye house, finishing hou.'es, dry houses and 
all other nece.=sary buildings for woolen manufacture Kentucky jeans and fancy 
cassimerfs are manufactured, the latter with a retail value of SI. 50 per yard. The 
aggregate number of looms of the three mills is 330. There are 20 sets of woolen ma-" 
chinery and 380 horse power engines Tubular boilers are used. 300 hands are em- 
ployed . and the pay roll every four weeks is S8000. The amount of raw materials used 
is 36 bales of cotton per week, 20,000 pounds of wool per month and 330,(00 pounds of 
cotton warps per year The annual production amounts to 3,000,000 yards of goods, 
John Shaw is Superintendent. 

Irvington Mills. 
The Frvington Mills, in North Chester, were established in Philadelphia, in 1842^ 
by James and David Irvinp. In 1845 they were removed to Delaware county, and the 
firm is now James irving & Son. The liiain building is of stone, 152 by 54 feet, four 
stories. No. 2 is 100 by 40 feet, one story; No. 3 .stone, two stories. The machinery 
consists of 106 looms, 2.100 spindles and 16 cards. Water and steam are used, compris-' 
irig 8 turbine water wheels and one engine with fi Demfold boilers, aggregating 125 
horse i)Ower, and manufacture woo'en threads and jeans. 31 men, 50 women, 4 girls 
and 16 boys are employed, at a monthly wage of $3,000. About 200,000 pounds of wool 
are used and produce 50,000 yards of goods per month. 80,000 pounds of cotton yarns 
are usrd per annum William A. Irving is Superintendent. There are about 85 acres 
of land connected with this establishment. 

North Chester Brickyard. 

The brickyard of S. J. Rose & Son occupies a 15 acre tract on Providence and 
Twenty-first streets. 40 men and boys and 5 hordes and carts are employed, and the 
weekly pay is S400. All kinds of brick are manufactured, 22,000 being turned out per 
day The yard has 3 kilns. Mr. Rose first started in the brick business on Upland 
street, near Tenth, in the North Ward. From there he removed to his present location 
thirteen years ago. 

SOUTH CHESTER. 

Chester Oil Works. 

The Chester Oil Works, in South Chester, are one of our most Important industries. 
To appreciate its magnitude and gain an idea of this intere.'<ting business, at least a 
day should be spent on the grounds and in the numerous buildings used in carrying on 
the enterprise. The company was organized in September, 1880, but refining oils did 
not begin until the 23d of the following March. Thn grounds comprise *<7 acres, and 
the buildings cover about 12 acres. 12 large stills with a charging capacity of 10,000 
barrels, 2 agitators, 6 bleachers and 6 laree boilers for engine and pumping purposes-, 
with much other machinery, are used in turning out 2,000 barrels of refined oil per day 



322 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



and 1,600 barrels of tar and an equal amount of naphtha per week. 20,001 barrels of 
crude oil are used per week. There is a storage capacity of 14 ,000 barrels of -rude oil 
tankage, besides 60.000 barrels of other tankage. Three of t"e largest pumps have 
each a capacity of 3,Ono b-rrels per hour. " hey carry 14 inch sue ion line.s and 12 inch 
supply lines. Beneath the surface of the entire grounds is a perfect network of pipes, 
all of which are accurately drawn on a plan of the works, so that at anv time an en- 
gineer Ti ith compass and chain can not only find any pipe desired, but every joint and 
stop cock can be designated and its size and use told There is not a tank or building 
anywhere in the works that is not well protected in case of fire, as both steam and 
vp'ater can be turned on in all of them in such quantity as to extinguish the flames. 4 
Aitftsian wells have been sunk to obtain eld water for condensing purposes. One of 
these are 450 feet deep and furnishes 70 barrels per hour. Theordinary supply of water 
is obtained from the river. There is wharfage for 13 vessels, with a depth of 20 to 24 
feet at low water, and for t 'e protection of the shipping in winter ice piers have been 
erected. They are the only private ones on the Atlantic const. 17 different kinds of 
oil are made and shipped to al< parts of the world. Besides b rrels, 5-gailon tin cans 
are used for this purpose, and works for the manufacture of the latter have just been 
completed and fitted up with intricate and expensive machinery. Little, if any, of 
thi work is done by l^and. The tin is cut, squared, bent into proper shape, stainped 
and soldered by machinery The last operation is performed liy an ingenious in en- 
tion of Frank W. Edward, Superintendent of the works, and has a capacity of t rning 
out 14,00n perfectly soldered cans Of this number not a dozen will leak when severely 
tested. Before shipment these cans are packed, two in a wooden box, also made en- 
tirely by machinery. 375 hands, only a couple of dozen of whom are boys are employ- 
ed, at a weekly pay of S3,400, exclusive of men paid by the month. 

Sea Board Oil Company. 

The works of the Sea Board Oil Company, W. E. Cotler, Blanager and Treasurer, 
were established, July 1, 1881, on an admirably located lot on i- ront street, between 
Trainer and Booth streets. These works comprise 8 buildings, covering an aggregate 
of about half an acre. 8 engines, 3 boilers and 15 stills are used in the manufacture of 
lubricating oils, parafflne oils an! wax, refined burning oils, gasoline and naphtha. 
1 ,30 I barrels of crude oil are consumed daily. 33 men are employed ..t a weekly pay 
of S367. 

Delavjare Oil Refining Works. 

The Delaware Oil Eeflning Company was established by W. F, Young, in August, 
1881, at its present location, between Second and Front and Johnson and Price streets. 
South Chester. It was incorporated Oct >ber 15, 1881, as the Delaware Oil Heflning 
Company. There are 8 good sized buildings, of brick and frame, covering about half 
an acre. They manufacture paraffineoil and wax. The engines are 65 horse power, 
and there are six stills, the weekly capacity of wiiich is 400 barrels. 18 hands are em- 
ployed at a weekly wage of $225. 550 barrels of residuum of petroleum oil are used per 
■week, and the weekly capacity of the works is of oil 350 and 50 barrels of wax. 

Vulcan Works. 

The Vulcan Works at Delaware Avenue and Reaney streets. South Chester, started 
in 1864. by William H. Green, in a building 40 by 120 and has been enlarged to a hand- 
some brick structure 144 by 12i, with sub-buildings 30 feet square. The latter are used 
as a cupola house and oven, and as a casting, cleaning and boiler house. The products 
manufactmecl here are of steel, iron and brass. A specialty is made in brass and 
steel valves and cocks of all kinds. A large amount of general machine work is also 
done. The works have a capacity of $10,000 worth of manufactured goods per month. 
Fifty men are employed at wages of $2,(jO0 per month 

Chester Pipe and Tube Company. 

The Chester Pipe and Tube Company was established at Front and West streets. 
South Chester, in 1877 It was incorporated by the Legislature with a capital of $30ii,- 
000. The grounds comprise 17 acres, which contains two long brick buildings, besides 
sevB'^al other smaller ones. They manufacture lo,000 tons of wrought iron pipes and 
tubes annually, consuming 20,00t) tons of skelp iron. 200 hands on an average are em- 
ployed at a monthly pay of $8,000 to $10,000. W. S. McManus is Superintendent; Geo. 
H. Potts, President; A. D. Hepburn, Secretary and Treasurer. 

Centennial Mills. 

The Centennial Mills occupying a main building 600 feet long by 50 wide at Se- 
cond and Clayton streets, were established in May, 1876, by Simeon Cotton, and were 
ready to open on the lOlh of the month, but that being the grand opening of the Cen- 
tennial exhibition in Philadelphia, the mills were not started until the 11th, hence 
their name. 14 bales of cotton are used per week in the manufacture of 6,000 pounds 



Industrial Establishments. 823^ 



of cotton warps; 3,0S0 spindles and 13 > ards is the macliirery used. 9 men, 9 women, 8 
girls and 14 boys find work here on a monthly pay of $850. S. B. Cotion is Superin- 
tendent. 

Charles hoherts' Mills. 

In 1871. Charles Roberts began operaMons in the Water "Works building at the foot 
of Fulton street. It was removed in"l875. to its present location at the foot of Jefif'ery 
street in South Chester. 1 he works comprise two mills, one l.'^O bv 66 feet, 2 stories 



driven by a 90, a 40 and a 12 horse power engine, and comprises 150 looms. 5,500 cotton 
spinriles, 1,000 woolen spindles, 18 cotton and 2 sets of woolen c^rds. 5 tubular boilers 
are used in t e gei oration of steam All the dying and finishing is done upon the pre- 
mises. 8.0i!0 pounds of raw material are consumed every week, producing 36,000 yards 
of manufactured goods. 35 are men, 60 women, 35 girls and 3(i boys are employed, and 
the monthly pay ,f3,000. Kobert Wilson is Superintendent. 

Chester Rolling Mills. 

The Chester Rolling Mills, mnnufactuiers of steel plate, boiler plate, tank iron, 
boat plate, steel ingots and pig iron, were establ'shed at Front street between Wilson 
and Hayes, South Chester, in 1874, bv the Jhester Rolling Mil's Company. John 
Roach, President; C. B. Houston. Treasurer; L>. F. Houston, Secretary, and T. J. 
Houston, General Manager. The main building is 320 by 185 feet. The steel works, 
140 by 90. The ditt'erent buildings connected with the blast furnance cover about one 
acre. The combined engine power is 6 000 horse and they have the most complete set 
of machinery and implements for their business in the ' ountry. They employ 575 men 
and 25 boys, at weekly wages of ffi6,000. '"hey use 1,000 tons of ore, 735 tons of fuel 
and 509 tons of limestone in the blast weekly, and the weekly i roduct is 650 tons pig 
iron, 300 tons steel ingots and 300 tons plate, which, however, does not include other 
steel production. 

Auvergne M'lls, 

The "Auvergne Mills" of South Chester, were established in the fall of '68, at the 
foot of Flower street by N. L. Yarnal . A two story si one structure, 5f) by 120 feet, 
forms the main building, the engine house is 20 by 25, picker house, 32 feet square, the 
dve house, 65 by 70 feet. 88 looms, 4 sets of wi oleu cards, 42 by 48, two self-acting 
mules with 676 spindles each, together with other necessary machinery are used in the 
manufacture of Kentucky jeans. 26 men and boys and 43 women and girls are em- 
ployed at monthly wages of $2,100. 5,700 pounds of cotton and wool are consumed 
every week in the manufacture of 20,000 yards of cloth. 

Chester Pottery. 

In a small two story building, 25 by 35 feet, at Front and Hayes streets, is the 
Chester Pottery. This was started by G< orge F. Tiapnell, in 1873, and 4 men and a 
boy are employed at wages of $50 per week. About 150 tons of clay are annually 
used. 

Oil Cloth Works. 

The Oil Cloth Works of F. S. Worrell were started during the summer of 1882, in 
the frame buildings formerly occupied by Eli D. Pierce as a morocco tannery, at the 
foot of Tilghman street. The works comprise four frame buildings and are well stock- 
ed with the most improved machinery. Oliver C. Washburn superintends the works. 
5,000 yards of manutactured goods are produced weekly, employing 30 men. 

Bobinson^s Brickyard. 

Robinson's Brickyard, 6th and Engle streets, was established by James Caven. 
The property passed into the hands of Amos Davis, who still owns it. Charles Fair- 
lamb and Fairlamb & Robinson have since conducted the business. In 1876 Mr. Ro- 
binson took entire charge. 3,000,000 bricks are turned out annually, giving steady em- 
ployment to 40 hands and 6 horses and carts, and $400 per week is the pay roll. 

Palmer^s Brickyard. 

The Brickyard on Third street, north of West, was established, in 1866, by Mrs. M, 
Palmer. It comprises 2 kilns with a capacity of 100,000 bricks each. The yard covers 
6 acres. Press, hand and salmon bricks are manufactured, and 12 men and 2 boys are 
employed at a weekly wage of $150. 40,000 bricks per week are turned out. Thomas 



m 



B24 Historical Sketch of Chester. 



Palmer is Superintendent. The owners of this enterprise are lineal aescendants of 
William Penn. 

South Chester Shipyard. 

The Shipyard of Joseph K. Clouser, at the foot of Lamokin street, is used entirely 
for repair work. The works are fitted witli all the modern appliances for repairing 
wooden vessels. Employment is here given to 15 men at a weekly pay of $150. 

Wyoming Mills. 

The Wyoming Mills, at Third and Booth streets, is operated by Joseph Byram, 
Jr., in manufacturing cotton yarn. The mill has 56 looms, 1,060 spindles and tjvo sets 
of cards, driven by a 60 herse power engine, and turns out 13,000 yards per week. 3,000 
pounds of cotton "is weekly made into 26,000 pounds of cotton yarn James Byraoi, 
Sr., is Superintendent. 

Garfield Mills. 

The <^arfleld Mills, situated at the corner of Morton streets and P. W. & B. R. B., 
were built by Mes>rs. Law & Devenney during 1881. The building is a two story brick, 
sot by 50 feet. 2,8flO pounds of cotton yam is manufactured every week. 1,50C spin- 
dles and 8 sets of cards > omprised the macVinery up to within a short time — now the 
capacitv is being doubled by the duplicaiion of their machinery. An 80 horse power 
«ngine furnishes the motive power. 4 men, 3 women, 6 girls and 3 boys are employed, 
at a weekly pay of $160. William Whiitaker is Superintendent. 

Law & Bevi^nney^s Brickyard, 

Law & Devenney's Brickyard conjprises an eight acre tract on Morton street and 
P. W. & B. K. R. 3 large kilns, of Philadelphia pattern, daily produce 23,000 bricks. 
45 men are employed at *450 weekly wages. 

South Chester Kindling Works. 

The Kindling Wood establishment of S. P. Stephenson, wasstarted 4 years ago, 
at the foot of Lamokin street. 4 men are employ«d on a weekly wage of $60. One 
thousand cords of oak and pine wood is annually consumed. 

MARCUS HOOK 

Eiverview Hosiery Mills. 

The Biverview Hosiery Mills, at Marcus Hook, were established September 1, 1877, 
by Clarence Larkin and John G. Campbell, but in October of the same year Mr. Camp- 
bell withdrew, and with the exception of a period of 8 months, from August 1, 1879, to 
April 1, 1880, when the business was carried on unaer the title of the "Clarence Larkin 
Manufacturing o., Limited," it has been conducted by Mr. Larkin. The main build- 
ing is of I. rick, three stories high, 80 by 33 feet; a brick wing, 16 by 28 feet, three stories 
high, aud an engine room, 20 by 33 feet, one story high. Cotton yarns, gentlemen's 
half hose, and ladies and misses' fancy hosiery, are manufactured from cotton yarns. 
A 40 horse power Corlis= engine and 50 horse power boiler are used. The machinery 
consists of 7 winding irames, 3 round frame of 6 heads each, 2 four-feeder balmoral 
frames of 4 heads each, 4 twelve-feeder balmoral trames of 4 heads each, 2 eight-feeder 
balmoral frames of 4 heads each, 14 rib-tops frames, 4 heeling frames, 4 over-seajning 
machines, one cutting machine, 12 Wilcox & Gibbs sewing machines, 8 Wil box & 
Gibbs trimming machines, one welting machine, 2 pressing machines and one tiiiishing 
machine, invented and built by Mr. Larkin himself and which takes the place of au 
hydraulic press 8 men, 20 women, 36 girls and 11 boys are employed, and the weekly 
wages are $350. 12,000 pounds of yam is used a month, and tiie average weekly pro- 
duction is at present 2,000 dozen pairs, which are bundled, or put up in paper boxeB, 
Eicely labeled, and these packed in L dozen cases. 

J^'ETHER PROVIDENCE, 

The Rose Valley Mills. 

This business was first established by Antrim Osborne, at Waterville, in 1846, and 
ambsequently removed to Nether Providence. The firm is A. Osborne & Sons. The 
main mill is 150 by 55 feet, three stories; No. 2 mill, 60 by 24 feet, three stories; picket 



industrial EstahUskmenU, :32i 



room, 80 "by 40 feet, two stories; engine house, 30 bv 20 feet; dyehouKe,60 by 90 f et, 
■with a separate ofBce. These buildings are of stone from the quarry of the lirm. f hey 
^ilso own the property across the road, a building 60 by 40 feet, formerly a bdbinetmilU 
but now used as a machine shop. They manufacture cassimeres and jeans, all wool. 
The machinery comprises 100 looms, ' 300 spindles, 5 sets of cards, one Corliss engine 
of 65 horse power with 2 sets of boilers. There is als a good water power. 50 men, 
40 girls and 35 boys are employed, and the wages averages §2,800 per month About 
$300,000 worth of raw material is used during the year, with an annual produ-ction of 
-«340,000 worth of -manufactured goods. 

CBOZERYILLE. 

The Crozerviile Mill 

This industry was establi^hed by the late John P Crozerln 1839. It-was conduct- 
ed by him up to the tin'€ of His death, in 1866. Samuel A. Crozer then took charge of 
the mills and at the end of "-ne year associated with himself Samuel C. Lewis, under 
the Arm name of Crozer * Lewis. In 1875 the firmdissolved S. C. Lewis withdrawing, 
and Samuel A. Crozer continued the business until 1881, when he rented the mill i« 
the present proprietor, W. H. H. Robinson. The main building is 100 bv 50 feet, four 
stories high; one store house, oneengine house anti one « asfe house. All are of stone. 
They manufacture cotton yarn. There are 5,000 spinn ng spindles, 12 cards, one en- 
gine and 2 boilers, with water power. 14men, 6 women 29 girls and 16 boys are em- 
ployed, at an average wage of $l,.'00per month. 39,000 pounds of material are used 
monthly, with a weekly production of 5,000 pounds of cotton yarns. J.'U s<!ott is 
Superintendent. 

DARBY. 

Verlenden Bro.^s Mills. 

This industry was established at Darby by dohn Verlendefi, in 1861. In 1880 the 
•mill was destroyed by tire, but at once re-built. The business is conducted under the 
.firm name of Verlenden Bros. The main mill is 8 by 40 feet. The engine house, 
picker room, dye house and drying house form separate buildings. Thev manufacturM 
<5otton and woolen goods. The machinery consists of 6) looms, 2 self-acting mules. 
«ach 508 spindles; 2 sets of 60 cards, driven by one 16 by 42 Corliss engine, with twe 
-sets of boilers. 15 men, 16 women, 9 girls and 15 boys are employed, at a weekly pay of 
:$350. The amount of raw material used per week is 3,600 pounds and the production 
ifor the same time 14,000 yards of minufactured goods. 

FERJYWOOD, 

Union Mills. 

Established in Darby Borough, in the year 1867, by William Hall & Co., tliey were 
removed to Ferr wood in 1870, and are still controlled by the same firm. The buildings 
shave 24,000 square feet of floor room, in which the carding room, picker room, dye 
house, scour house and drying room are included. The business is the manufacture 
of shoddies, waste wool scouring, dyeing, &c. There are 21 cards, and 2 engines of 166 
horse power, with 6 boilers. 45 men are employed and the pay averages $700 per month. 
The amount of material used when the mills are running at full capacity, is 60,000 
pounds a week- John IL HaU is Superintendent. 



INDEX. 



Abbots T^avid, 201; Henry, 38, 52, 85, 86, 97 

Algodon Mills, 44, 313 

AcrOius, 121. I7!t 

Accident, at arrival of "Welcome^" 17; on 

second arriv<<l of Penn, 179 
Act, a Quaker's brave, 2i 
Adams, -lohn, 78 
Admiral Howe, 153 
Advocate, Delaware County. 85, 217 
Afternoon, The, Oct. 23, 1882, 285 
Albion. Loss of Ship, 137 
^li Hyder, Frigat«. 32 
.alien, Pr .1. M., 163, 192; Milton M., 214 
Aiken, Rev. Thomas J., 2 >« 
American vessels captured by tbe French, 

140 
Amity, ship, 111 
.Anderson. Elizabeth, 116; House, 159; Eu.s- 

ta, 7, 152; Samuel. 21 ; Major William, 

37.40,88.89. 116, 157. 159 
Andrews, -T. 6.. 211, ■/12 
Andross, Edmund, 13 
Anecdote of John Caldwell, 153; Isaac 

Eyre, 1-12, 143; Miss Finch, 156; fashiona. 

blelady, 127; General Harrison, 85; Court 

House, building of, 50, 51; John Larkin's 

enterprise, 41, 42; Mrs. Maddux, 104; 

Jonathan Pennell, 124; Admiral D. D. 

Porter, 118; John Salkeld, 139; James 

Shaw. 149 
Antietam. Battle of, 211 
A pp eby, Thomas, 89; Elizabeth, 89 
Arasapha Mills, 160 
Archbold, Samuel. 195 
Archy Dick Guards, 211 
Arka'nsas, Rebel ram, 117 
Asbury, Bishop, 201; chapel, 201; chuTch, 

2(15 
Armory, The, 213 
Armstrong, Edward, 18, 46 
Arnold, H. Y., 220 

Arrest of citizens by British forces, 103 
Arthur, Rev. John W., 202; Mrs. Samuel, 

225 
Ashbridge, George, 65, 135; house, 135 
Ashmead, Henrietta G., 154; John W.,36, 

138, 141, 154 
Askins, John Henry, 208 
Assembly, General, 18, 19, 20, 68; Old House, 

176 
Association, Declaration of, 102, 163 
Associators, The. 210 
At Munday's Bun, <Sc., 134 
Atkinson, Ruth, 69 
Atlee, William Kichardson, 54 
Attorney, tirst appearance of King's, 152 
Auvergne Mills, 323 

" B," Company, 213, 214 
Babcock, W. Irving, 214 



Backhouse, Rev. Richard, 152, IS 

Buckingham, William. 144 

Bagss. James, 65; Jane, 66; Kat]tarine,65f 
Mary, 66; William, 65 

Bagatelle table, 93 

Bag-()-hell,93 

Bagshaw William, 319 

Bal«er, George, 165; I. Engle, 213; John, 
144; Joseph, 144 

Batch, Rev. Mr. 190 

Baldwin, Ann, 133; John, 132 150 

Ballots, beans used as, 26 

Baltimore, 1 ords 13, It, 26, 122, 190 

Bampfylde, Moore Oarew, 19, )48 

Bank, The Delaware Countv ^'ational, 33^ 
81 101, 125 126, 130; First National, 128 

Baptist Church, Fi-st, 40. 199 

Barber House, 88. 121; James, 150; John, 
121; Hannah, 121; Kobert, 120, 150 

Barker, John, l!3l 

Barnard, Major Isaac D.. 157, 158, 159;- 
James, 157; James D., 157; Joseph. W., 
158; Lucy, 158; Mary, 159: Nicholas, 87;- 
Richard, 157; Susanna, 157; Thomas, 159 

Barnes, S. Warner. 214 

Barney Captain Joshua, 32 

Barry. Richard, 87 

Barnslev, Thomas, 181 

Barton House, 128, 133; James, 115, 122, 173, 
177; James. Jr., 45, 211, 212, remarks of, 
269, 2^9; John, 44; John H.,211; Susanna^ 
129; Thomas, 128, 129 

Barrel Works, 319 

Bates, Joseph, 54 

Batt'es of Fort George, 158; Plattsburg, 
158; Lyon's creek, 158; Jena, 98; Gettys- 
burg, 211, 226; Brandywino, 31, 52, 88, 93, 
103 

Bartholomew, Benj.. 105; Commons, 68 

Bauer, B., 98 

Baymton. Peter, 184 

Beale, General Kdward F., 44, 80, 81; Sal- 
lie E,, 225 

Bear, encounter with, 73; learned, 95; The 
Black Inn, 99, 149 

Beaver, Maurice, 1-^1, 163 

Beatty, Frank, 52; John C, 88, 122 

Beaumont, Thomas, 86 

Beauties of Virginia, the three, 88 

Beethom, Elizabeth. 133 

Beck, Hev. Levi G.,20ii 

Beekman, Wm., Vice Director, 3, 6, 9, 10 

Bell. Isabella, 102 

Bell, the Court House, 50, 62; St. Paul's, 
184, 185, 188, 189 

Bell Tower. St. Paul's, 185 

Bellars, John, 231 

Bevan, Aubrey, 77, 83; David, 107, 148, 149; 
Davis, 91, 92, 93, 107, 123, 166, 178; Isa- 
bella, 166; Jane, 148, 149; Mary, 83; Mat- 



Index. 



327 



tliew D., 1*05; Matthew L., 93, 123, 166, 
204; Tacey Ann, 103, 105. 
Benedict, Kobert, 206 
Bennett. N. W., snT 
Besk. Captain John Ammundson, grant 

to. 3 
iBickley, .lohn, 231; Mortimer H., P5, 163 
Bi-Oenteniiial visit of State Association 
rflacers,265; Circular of Council respect- 
ing, 295 
Bi-Centennial Committee of Chester, pre- 
liminary work of, 235; personal of, 237; 
offlc rs of. 24(1; personal of Sub Commit- 
tees, 241, 242; meeting of, 23K, 239; Cele- 
bration, 263 to 290; final «ork of, 2!il; 
thanks of to Histoiical Committee and 
officers of General Committee. 292; Re- 
port of Financial Committee. 292 
Biddle, Clement. 9!; letter from, 308 
Binckton, John. 10 
Birchall House, 167; Elizabeth, 167; James, 

167; John. ]67; Sarah, 167 
Birth of first English child in Province 

167 
Birtwell, James H., 214 
Black, Jaraes. 153; William, extract from 
journal of, 96, 97; Ship. Black Cat, 197; 
H. B.,Edge Tool Works, 43, 316: Black 
Horse Hotel, 59, 108; Black & Worrell, 
Mat Factory, 138 
Blackwell, Governor, 315 
Blagg's Bra^s Foundry, 317 
Blakeley, AStam, 43, 160; and sons, 315; 
Benj. W., 161; Wm. S., 161 ; Theo., 214 
Bliss, Rev Geo R.,228; Ward R., 216, 219 
Block House. 49 
Blue Ball Inn, 32, 106, 107; Blue Bell 

Tavern. 204 
Blythe, Calvin, 88, 122, 123 
Boar's Head Inia, 23, 63, 307 
Bond, Dr., 130 
Bonnafibn, A L., 134, 154 
Bonsall, Dr. Jesse, 43, 160, 161; Martha, 

147; William. 57, 58 
Booth, William, 123 
Boston money, counterf«itiiigj 153 
Boston Port Bill, 53 
Bounty paid for a wagon, 102 
Bowen, William H., 218 
Bower's Shoddy Mill, 315; Bower, Re¥. 

Edwin W., 208, 209 
Boyer, Kev. George, 205 
Brandeis, Simon. 150 
Bradford, Attorney General, 54 
Branin's Carriage Works, 318 
Brannan. Benjamin. 103 
Brandywine, Battle of. 31, 52, 88, 93, 103 
Brasey, Thomas, 175, 177 
Brewster, John, 107 

Bricks, error respecting early, 73, 229; yards 
on Delaware in early times, 73; at Ches- 
ter. 229 
British Army, anxiety respecting objective 
point of, 31; Fleet at Chester, 32, 153; 
Pensioners, 87; Vessel at Chester with 
yellow fever, 146 
Bridges, County, at Chester, 171. 174; Third 
street, 171, 174; Ninth street, 174; Second 
street, 174; Seventh street, 174 
Brinton, John, 176 
Bristol Factor, Ship, 14 
Bristow, John, 175 
Broad Street Mills, 314 
Brobson, Hannah, 101; Rebecca, 99, 109; 
William, 100, 101, 109 



Brooks, Francis, 190. 192; John, Kfi, 165 

Broomall, Jehu, 89, 94; John M ,39, 40, 41, 
42. 43, 59, 66. 76. 125, 200, 206 212. 226; re- 
marks of. 246; oration of, 274 to 284; Wil- 
liam B.,21 49 

Broomhall, C. D. M.. 212 

Brown, Maj r Daniel. 212; Frank T..,214; 
Rev. Henry. 190, 202; Prayer by Rev. 
Henrv, 270. 297 

Broughton. Thomas, 163; William S., 214 

Brow ing & Co., 126 

Buckheirac. 9- 

Bucknell, William, 227 

Bulah, Rev. J. G ,205 

Bull, John. 55 

Bunting. Alfred. 212 

Burns. Anna, 164; D. H . 203; Jame.i, 164 

Burrow's State Book of Penna., 193 

Butler Worthiiigton, 155, 215 

Buys, Abraham, 57, 58 



Cadwallader, General. 58 

Caldwell Marsior, 152; George, 1.53; John, 
123, 153, 154; John A., 154; Thomas. 54 

Campbell. James, 35, 36, 40, 43,60, 61,86, 
89; Rev. James, 201; James A., 213 

CampHuins. 3 8 

Canby, Thoraps, 129 

Cann Rev. Kol ert, 201 

Cannonadine at Br andywine, 31, 133 

Cannon shots fired at Chester, 71, 93 

Camp HuPont, 1(0 

Captain .Ii^lin Ammundson Besk. 3 

Capture of frigate President. 136, 137 
apture of Frigate Philadelphia. 116 

Oarew, Bampfylde Moore, 19, 28, 29, 148 

Carling, Charles B., 214 

Carolus. Domine Lesse, 47 

Carpenter, Samuel, 232 

Carter. Edward, 176; Sarah, 129; Captain 
R. Kelso, 224 

Carr, aptain, 10 

Carroll, Michael, 105 

Carri.sh, Rev J. G . 205 

Cassimer. Siege of Fort, 8 

Caves The, 14 

Centennial Mills, 322; The National, 43 

Chariot, 'I he, 220 

Chadwick, James, 61,62, 97, 98; John, 97; 
Rebecca, 97 

Chambers, Rev. L C.,20') 

Chester Academy, 44, 224; American troop 
at, 30, 31; arrival of Penn to 18.50. 24; 
awakenint! of, 35; before arrival of Penn. 
1; William Black's account of, 96, 97; 
Borough chartered by Penn, 27; Carew's 
account of, 19; Chemical Works, 316; 
Chief Burgess of, 48, 74. 103, 114, 1^3; Cir- 
cuit, 201; Churches at, 175 to 2(9; City 
Mills. 315; County Bridges at, 171; Corn- 
wallis at, 31; Court House, 1, 46; Dock 
Mills, 44. 313; During Civil War, 45; Eng- 
lish Army at, 30, 70; from 1850 to 1882. 35; 
Gas in, 44; Historical Buildings in. 63, 
170; Hospital at, 30, 225, 226, 227; Inci- 
dent at Island, 71; Island, 71; in 1840,37; 
in 1644, 2; Institute of Science, 128; Iron 
works, 317; Laid out in 1700,22; Streets 
laid out, 40; Location of, 1; Lodges No. 
236, P. A M., 63; Map of in 1765, 21, 48, 
51, 55, 57, 60; Meeting, 176, 177, 178; Mile 
stone at, 1; Mills, 24, 35, 36. 140, 146, 148, 
229, 230, 231, 232; Morocco Co., 317; Mo- 
ther's lament of, 78, 79, 83; Mutual In- 
surance Co., 37; Naming of, a doubtful 



ms' 



Judex: 



story, 18; Ninth mo., 27. 28, Oil "Works, 
321; Penn's House at, 63; Petition for a 
free port at, 28; Pipe and Tube Co., 322; 
Pottery. 323; Property destroyed by Brit- 
ish at 31, 70; Real estate, value of, in 
1844, 38; Republican League Houi-e at. 
146; Reception at, 285; Rural Cemetery, 
39; Rolling Mill, 323; Steel Casting <'6., 
316; Tobacco plantation at, 2; Water in- 
troduced in. 44; Why named, 18, 19 

Chester, Morth, Hrickyard, 321; South, 
Kindling Work, 324; Shipyard, 324 

Chew, Samuel, remarks of. 303 

"Chief Lords of the Pee," 232 

Chimney Closets, 68, 73, 121 

Christiana, Queen, 3 

Churches. -'The Wet Nurses,"^ 181; St. 
Paul's, 179; St. Lulie's,195; St. Michael's, 
196; Immaculate Heart, 198; First Bap- 
tist, 199; Madison Street, 201; Trinity, 
203; Ujiion, 204; Asbury. 205; First Pres- 
byterian, 206; (Chester City Presbyterian, 
207; Third Presbyterian, 208 

City Hfi 11. 50, 62 

City Hotel, 77, 95, 124, 142 

City First, Troop, 81 

Clancy, Louis M., 221 

Clark, Dennis, 163 

Glarkson's Life of Penn, 18, 26 

^lay's Annals, 5 

Clayton, Caleb P., 98; Thomas J., 60 

Clein-on, Rev. John B., 151 

Clergymen, the Indians dislike of, 17& 

<'lift, s>imuel, 43 

Clingliam. William, 55, 56 

Clock at Greenwich, 69. 

Cloud, Harwell A. 214; Stephen ^ 124, 143. 

Clyde, Henrietta M., 206; John Edward,- 
39, 1'3; Thomas, 85; T. Edward, 213. 

Coates. 'harles T., 146, 215; David, 80; Jo- 
seph R T , 195. 

Cobourn, Aaron, 155; Elizabeth, 155; House, 
155; Israel, 15 j; Joseph, 49; Mary, 155; 
Robert, 155. 

Cochran, Alexander, 159; John, Sr., 40, 
159, 206; John, Jr., 40, 44, 62, 105, 159; 
James Alexander, 214; 1. Engle, Sr.rI59, 
206. 

Cockburn, Admiral, 210. 

Cocoa Matting Works, 316. 

Codnor Farm, :95. 307, 308 

Cohen, S. E.,2'!0 

Coining, private, 152 

Cole, Martha, 153; Stephen, 153 

Coleman, LUiiiP/ , 10 

Collett, deJ'.my, 181 

Columbia House, 86, 140, 145 

Colwell, Isaac B.,212 

Combe, Sarah P., 72, 137, 138 

Combination Steel and Iron Works, 43, 316 

Commissioners, County, Extraordinary fee 
of, 141 

Oommittee of Safety, 103, 105 

Conarroe, George 'W., remarks of, 304, 305 

Conneugsmark, Gen., 10. 

Constitution, f rigate, capture of L'lnsur- 
gent, 116 

Constitutional onvention, 57 

<;;ontinental Mills, 44 

" Money, 32, 33 

" Soldiers best, meal, 164, 165 

Convicts pardoned, 55, 58; reprieved under 
gallows, 55 

Cook, Rev. William, 197 

Cooper, Rev. Jno., 201 



Cope, Gilbert, 158 

Coppock, Bartholomew, 176; Phehe, 177 

Cornbury, visit of Lord, 27 

Corn waliis. Lord , 31 , 88 

Oorrespondence, Penn and Logan, 76 

Cotter, Mary, "Polly" 65 

Coultas, James, 87 

County seat changed , 33, 34, 35, 55, 84 

Ooupland, Agnes, 91 ; Caleb, lOl, 177, 178 j 
David, 30, 91. 101. 102, 103. 105, 107, 178;, 
David, Jr., 104; Joshua, 101, 107; Sarah, 
107 

Court, curious decree of, 6; Houses, 48, 55,. 
5«. 62, 84, 102, 199, 201.307; House, Somer- 
set Co , Md. , 184; pump, 52; sale of House^ 
48, 51. 55, 57, 60. 84 

Cox, Jr., Remarks of Justice, 302;^ Miller, 
sash factory, 319- 

Craig, J. Jr., 219; John H , executor of, 5T,. 
104 

Crimes, trivial, punished vrith death, 54 

Criminal settler.-*. 3; branding of, 11 

Cropper, Col., of "Virginia, 31; execution or 
Thomas. 66 

Crosby, John. 121, 145,161,162: John'sapol- 
ogy, 161; John, Jr., 187; Pierce, 170: Rich- 
ard, 68, 161 

Cr'zer Academy, 203, 2'i7; Normal School, 
22:; family, 227, 231, 232; George K., 212;. 
John P., 35, 39, 40, 41, 45, 66, 160, 199, 225, 
227,231-, Mrs. John P , 225; Mrs. J. Lewis, 
225; Samuel A. & Sons, 125; Chester mill, 
314; Mrs. S. A., 225; Sallie K..227; Theo- 
logical Serainarv, 2,44,45, 225; Uoland 
mill, 32 

Orozerville mills, 325 

Crum Creek, The, campaign, 45; Forge on, 
123 

Cutfy, Boy, 18 > 

Cunningham, Rev, James, 2fl2 

Cummings, Alice. 150; Hannah, 150; Tho- 
mas, Ml), 151, 153, 177 

Cunnie, Dr. William, 187 

Cutler's, George F., candy factory, 319 

Cowgill, John, 109; Joshua C, 109 ; Mar- 
tha, 109, 156 

Daizey, Eliphaz, 79 

Dale, Rev. James W., 906 

•"^Darby Ram, The," 147; Ranges, 211 

Dasey, Jemima, 162 

Davis, Benjamin, 102; Caleb, 52, 70; Rev. 
Henry, 205; Rev. Henderson, 206; Jacob 
P., 206; John, 55; John C.,66; Rev. John 
W.,206; Joseph, 55; Robert, 113; Robert 
Coulton,303 

Days' Historical Collection, 23C 

Deakyne, Dean J., 2H 

Deans, Charles W., 22t 

Death, by jumping from a window, 72 

DecHtur, Commodore Stephen, 136, 137 

Declaration of Independence, How receiv- 
ed by Colonies, 194; By the Army, 194 

Defence, House of, 21, 135, 179, 207 

Delaware County Advocat-^, 21''; Blues, 
210; Created, 57; Democrat, 216; Fenci- 
bles, nO; Fusileers, 210; Guards, 211; Ho- 
tel, *1, 105; Institute of Science, 93; Mail, 
22(i; National Bank, 33. 81. 101, 125. 126. 
130; Paper, 219,220; Republican, 33,81, 
101, 125, 126, 13 >, vl6; Troops, 216 

Delaware House, 67; Oil Refining Works, 
322 

Dennis, Hannah, 79; John, 79; Mary, 79 

Derbyshire, William H., 214 



Index. 



329 



De Lannoy, George C, 213 

Deshong, Emeline, 91, !■ 3; John O., 162, 

163; Mary O., 162; Maurice "W., 83, 105; 

Peter, 162 
DeSilver, Joseph T.. 2i0 
Dial, Sun, St. Paul's, 184 
Dick, Archibald, 100, 146, 156; John. 122; 

Peter, 121, 122; Phoebe, 100; Thomas B., 

100, 151 
Dicker, Mr., 6 
Dickson, W. J.. 214 

iocese of Penn'a, Formation of, 187 
Disaster at Porter Hous-, 120 
Dispute." as to Boundary, 2i 
Destruction of Boar's Head Inn, 66 
Dixon, Elizabeth, 88; Mrs. , 86; Mrs. 

Warner 232 
Doflin, Sidney P., 158; William J., 158 
"onaldson, Fort, 117 
Donath, A., 219 
Dominie, Lawrence Lock, 5; his wife's 

elopement, 6; trial of, 6 
Double House, The, 17, 21, 22, 184, 307 
Doubtful Tradition, 17 
Dougherty, Rev William. 201 
Downs, Rev. Z. T., 200 
Drew, Captain Rodger, 14 
Dress of Swedish Settlers, 5 
Driver, Rev. Adam, 205 
Duke's Book of Laws, 13 
Dupont, Camp, 11 ■, 210 
Dupue. Hannah, 195 
Dusquense, Fort. 102, 193 
T~>utch Settlement at Minisink, 1 
Dutton, Aaron L., 168; Ann J., 168; Robert 

R.. 105 
Duvail, Lieut. William P., 224 
Duyckinck's Cyclopaedia of Literature, 190 
Dver. John G.,72, 86, 165; Col. Samuel A , 

86, 152, 154, 155, 211, 212 

Eagle Tavern, 80 

Eastman, Thomas, 216 

Ebeling's History of Pennsylvania, 8 

Eccles, Jr., Samuel, 43 

Eddy, Frank B., 214 

Kddystone, 174; Manufacturing Co., 329 

Edemont House. 121 

Edmundson, William, '2 

Educational Institutions, 221 

Edwards. Henrv B., 80, «1, 154, 211; Mary 

B.. 80; Samuel. 80,81 
Eilhorz, Philip, 39 
Emory, Isaac, 212 
Engle, Abbey. 81; Edward. SO; Frederick, 

80,126; Isaac, 65, 66, 80, 165; Mary, 80, 81, 

82 
English Inn. Martin's Description of Old, 

81, 82; Army at Chester, 70 
Entwisle, John L., 207; Joseph, 43, 166 
Escape of Prisoners, 48 
Kssex, Explosion of Steamboat, 137; Gun- 
boat. 177; House, 12, 14, 17, 23, 26, 38, 229, 

307; Sloop of War, 117 
Etting, Col. Frank M.,295, 296, 304, 305, 

307, 308 
Eureka Oast Steel Company, 43, 317 
Evans, George, 111; Lewis, 28; Rev. Mr., 

180, 186; Oliver, Extract from Diary of, 15 
Evening, The, October 23. 1882, 289 
Ewing, Eliza, 89; Thomas, 89 
Excelsior Brass "Works, 317 
Execution of Innocent Man, 58; Tree, 154; 

of James Batton, 49; John H. Craig, 57; 

Thomas Cropper, 58, 59, 66; John Dowdle, 



53; James Fitzpatrick, 65, 154; Patrick 
Kennedy, 53; Thomas Kelley, 53; John 
Lewis, 63; John M'Donoug'h. 55; Mat- 
thew McMahon, 53; Slave Phebe, 53; 
Herry Phillips, 53; HughPugh,49; Laz- 
arus Thomas, 49, ' liomas Vaughan,5l, 
James Wellington. 58; James Willis, 53; 
Eliz-ibe<h Wilson, 54 154; John and Wal- 
ter Win er, 53 

Executive Council, 54 

Eyre, Cileb C, 131; Henry ('. & Co., 3; 
Isabella. 149; I.saac,42, 131, 142, 143, 166> 
John. 115, 149, 166, 178; Jonas, 131, 151; 
Joshua P., 37, 131; Jo-hua P., Jr., 129, 
131. 162; Mary Ann, 149; Preston. 126 j 
Rebecca C, isi; Robert. 166; William, 
37, 131, 155, 166; William, Jr., 162; Wil- 
liam P., 21, 131 

Eyre's Wharf, 173 

Fahnestock, Prof. C. S., 224 

Fairlamb, John, 177; Jonathan, 122, 166; J. 
Frank, 213; Nicholas, 145; Robert, 140, 
155; Samuel, 91. 107 

Fairview Farm, 156 

Falls of the Delaware, 175 

Fuma, arrival of ship, 2 

Fauset. Walter, 176 

Fitter, Lieut. Emile L., 224 

Felons, emigration of resisted bv settlers, 
3,4 

Felts, Rev. C. C.,206 

Fenn, Jane, 113 

Fenwick, John, 12 

" Female Historian of Colonial Times," 75 

Few, Richard, 176 

Finch, Lydia E.,76, 156 

Finn, Long, insurrection and trial of, 19, 1! 

Finney, Walter, 163 

Finns, forest destroying, 3 

First child born to' H,nglish settlers, 167; 
cotton mill in Chester, 41; meetinghouse 
of Friends. 21; National Bank, 37, 128 
street laid out, 23 

Pishbourne, Ralph. 48, 49, 170 

Fisher, capture of Fort, 110 

Flavill, Edward E., 85, 128, 220; Jane, 128 

Fleeson, Elder, 54 

Flickwir, House, 155; Jemima E., 156; Jer- 
emiah W., 1.66 

Flitcraft, Contribution by Sarah B., 246 to 
262 

Flood of 1843, 24, 36, 146, 173; Flood &^ . 
len, 163 

Flour, shipped to Europe, 14'»; impressed 
by American troops, 140 

Flower. Henrietta G., 140; John, 133,140, 
146; Reese W., 232; Richard, 133, 140, 141, 
146, 156,. 232; Wm. G., 146; Zedekiah W., 
151 

Forbes, Expedition, 193; Mary, 83; Wil- 
liam, 83 

Ford, John, 93; Philip, 231 

Forest, annual tiring by Indians, 9 

Forge on Crum Creek, 121 

Fort Du Quense, 1(2, 193 1 George, battle 
of, 158 

Forwood Dr. J. L., 45, 207, 217 

Foster, Prof. Charles F., 222; Bi-Centen- 
nial hymns by, 284 

Foulke, Samuel, journal of 135 

Frame, Rev. Noble, 204 

Free School of Philadelphia, 128; Sooietj 
of Traders, 20 

Freight to Colony, 73 



330 



Index. 



French, Uavld, 190; Robert, 189, 190 

Friend, Ann, 110; Andrew, 110; Johannes, 
110; Gabriel, 110; Laurence, 110 

Friends and the Bi-0'^ntennial, 246; divis- 
ion of Society of, 178 

Friends' Asylum, Frankford, 130; burial 
ground. ITS; meeting house, 175, 307; tes- 
timonv against jails, 48 

Fruit, wild, 24 

Frysinger, Edward, 219; Henry, 217 

Futhey, J. Smith. 135 

Game, wild, 24 

Garrett, Josephine L., 164, 165 

Garfield Mills, 324 

Garsed, John, 36 

Gartside, Benj.,43, 199, 200; John, 42; Gart- 

side & Son, 62; Rifle Battalion, 212 
Gatchell, EliPha, 122 
Gerhart, Dr. William, 152 
Gettysburg, battle of, 199, 211, 226 
Gibbons, "William, 54, 56 
Gideorfs Band, 211 

Gilbert, Prof. George, 224; Mrs. T. M., 224 
Gill, George, 99; John, 100 
Gilroy, Rev, Henry E.. 202 
Gladwin, Frederica E., 222 
Goeltz House, 169; Ehreurerh, 170; George, 

170 
Gofl', John, 94, 95; Mary Ann, 95 
Goforth, Robert, 229 
Gordon, Robert, 190 
Gordon's History of Pennsylvania, 175 
Gorteborg, Nya, 2 
Gould, Rev. T., 2 5; Gould & Key, Works, 

318 
Graff, Rev. George M. T., 202 
/Graham, Eleanor, 70, 115; George, ey; 
House, 32, 48, 67, 307; Henry Hale, 51, 52, 
67, 69, 70, 71, 115, 122, 124, K6, 145, 157, 178; 
Jane, 72; Mary, 116; Zedekiah W.. 135, 
136; Dr. F. R., 168, 227 ; William, 33, 69, 
71, !72, 136, 140, 149, 157, 167 
"Granary, The, 74 
Grant, William K., 211; W. S., 214 
<Gray'8 Ferry, 147; George, 87; House, 144; 
Martha, 147; Dr. Wm.,37,72. 147; Col. W. 
C, 72, 155, 167, 211, 212, 219; W. • '. dr. 213 
Gregg, John, 61 
Green, Gen., Tavern, 66; John, 44, 165- 

Jesse L., 211 
Greenaway, Robert, 190 
Griffin, ship, 12 
Grifflng. Thomas, 161,162 
Growden, Grace, 112 

Grubb, Adam, 151, 164; Emantiel,14; Han 
nab, 133; Isaac, 151, 164; John, 151, 164 
Mary, 151; Wm. H., 173; Wm. L., 211 
Gunpowder, instructions by Government 

in making, 103 
Gwynn, David S., 212; William A., 517 



Hahn, Emma J., 222 

Hall, Lamokin, 138; Robert & Son, 43 

Hamilton, Andrew, 27; Box Factory, 31.9 

Hampson, James, 51, 60 

Hanging for Trivial Crimes, 53, 154 

H-angman's Lot, 154 

H&mmond, Rev. John P., 226 

Hancock, Letter from Gen. W. S., 308 

Hanley, Catharine, 145; Eleanor, 87, 145; 

John. 87, 102, 134, 154 
Hannum, John, 51, 55, 56, 181; Mark B., 

89; Robert E., Sr., 60; Robert E., Jr., 154 
Hard Kopping Piet, 9 



Hard, Rev. Anson B., 151, 154 

Hare, John J., 213; Rev. Samuel G., 202 

Harmony Rangers. 211 

Harper, John, 56, 78, 79 

Harris, John. 137 

Harrison, Anecdote of General, 85; Caleb, 

177 
Hartranft Rifles, 213 
Harvey, Dr. Ellwood, 227 
Haas, Emil 0.,214 
Hastings, John, 178; Jo'^hua, 176 
Hatchet, Find of Old, 66 
Hatteras, Capture of Gunboat, 119 
Haviland, Rev. Arthur P., 196, 197 
Hawes, Charles M., 165 
Hazard's Annals, 18 
Henderson, William, 167 
endrickson, Andries, 5; Jan, his horrid 
deed, 10 
Henneston, Edward, 76 

enry. Fort, 117 
Herald, Chester, 211 
Hermit of Welsh Mountains, 64 
Hershey, Edgar P., 224 
Heston, Rev. Newton, 202 
Hewitt, Emma, 134 
Hibberd, Samuel, 123, 151, 167 
Hicks, ^ dward, 86; Ellas, 177 
Hickman, Joseph, 83 
Higgins, Isaac, 123; Thomas, 220 
Highway, in early times, 9; King's, 170 
Hill, F. Stanhope, 195,218; George W.,151; 

John, H., 89; William, 49 
Hinkson, Alfred H., 211; Charles, 100; 
Frederick J., Sr., 43, 100, 109, 123, 168; 
Frederick J., Jr., 100, 101, 109. 143; Hen- 
ry, 100. 101, 109, 143; Henry M., 43, 319; 
Mill of, 319; John, 44, 210; Joseph H., 
206, 207; Lewis L., 214; Majrv, 100, 101, 
109, 143 
Historic Buildings in Chester, 63 to 170 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 18, 66, 

232, 295, 299, 300 
Hitner, Daniel, 116 
Hodgskin8, John, 67, 68 
Hodgson, Major John, 218 
Hogan, Kleanor, 145; John, 145 
Holker, Brigantine, 92 
Holland, Rev. James, 205 
Ho'lingsworth, Henry, 48 
Holt, A mos, 61 
Hood, El'a, Poem bv, 248 
Hook, Marcus, 2, 3, 97, 199 
Hope's Anchor, Sign of, 104 
Horseshoe, The, 128 

Hoskins, Eleanor, 40, 116; House, 48, 67, 
121, 132, 307; John, Sr., 67, 6S, 152; John, 
Jr., 48, 49, 50, 68, 69, 72, 77, 153; John, of 
Burlington, 69, 115", Joseph. 45, 69, U4, 
153, 17«, 221; School, 221; Extract from 
Will of, 145; Joseph, Jr., 115, 116; Han- 
nah, 68, 69; Mary, 68, 152; Raper,40, 116, 
155 
Hospital, Military, 225, 226, 22T; Revolu- 
tionary, 124 
Hotel, City, 77; Black Horse, 108; Steam- 
boat, 90 
Houghton, James, 36, 160 
House of Defence, 47 

House, Ashbridge, 135; Anderson, 169; 
Baber, 121; James Barber, 150; Barton, 
128; Birchall, 167; Columbia; 86; Co- 
bourn, 155 ; Delaware, 67 ; Edgmont. 
121; Flickwir, 155; Goeltz, 169; Graham, 
48, 67, 121, 132; Gray, 144; Huertine, 126; 



IndeXt 



331 



Howell, 142; Lafayette, 95; Lloyd, 110 
Old Lloyd, 132; Logan, 73; Morgan. 161; 
Thomas Morgan, 165; Morris, 164; Par- 
ker, 157; Perkins, 138; Porter, 110; Pot- 
ter, 159; Richardson. 168; Shaw, 148; >ita- 
cey, 101; Sandilands, 124; Terrill, 161; 
Turner, 148; Washington, 82 

Houses of Swedish settlers, 4 
" towed on scows, 97 

Householder, John M., 212 

Howe, Admiral Richard, 153, 154 

Howes, Elisha S., 89 

Howell, Isaac, 108, 109; Jacob, 65, 108, 121, 
177 

Rowland & Nichol's Works, 318 

Hudde, Andreas, 6 

Huddleson, Henry, 212 

Hudson, Hannah, 121 

Huertine, Elizabeth, 126; William, 126 

Humphreys, Rev. John, 169, 186 

Hung in irons, 49 

Hunter's Shoe Factory, 319 

Hurst, Anthony A., 155 

Huygens, Hendrick. 9 

Hy^tt, Col •■harlesE.,224; Col. Theodore, 
222, 223, 227 

Hyde, Edmund M., 224 

Incident of Revolutionary War, 92; at Lo- 
gan House, 73 

Indei endeiice. Declaration of. 78, 194 

Indian name-i of Chester, 8; murder of the 
whites by, 11, 12; re orted hostiliiies by, 
25, 26; sale of liquors to, forbidden, 7 

Industries of Chester and Delaware Coun- 
ty, 309 to 325 

Infanticide. 53 

Inn, Black Bear, 99; Blue Ball, 106; Boar's 
Head, 63 

Innocent man executed, 58 

Inscription on Third street bridge, 172 

Insurrection of Indians apprehended, 11; 
of Long Finn, 10 

Immanuel <3hurch, Del., 189 

Irving, D. Edwin, i:14; James, 200; & Leip- 
er Manufacturing Company, 314 

Irvington Mills, 321 

Irwin, -lohn, 104, 105 

Jackson, Dr. David, 79, 97, 193 ; John Ma- 
ther, 126; Mary, 78. 79; Mr., 220; Dr. 
Paul, 97. 192, 193; Roger, 11', 144; Ste- 
phen, 95; Susanna, 79; Professor, 119 

Jacob, Benjamin, 51, 71; John, 55 

Jargiii, C pt. Hans, 47 

Jail, 49, 51, 52 

James, Carleton Y., 214; Wilmer W., 220 

Jealous Husband, A, 93 

Jeftery, 42 

Jefferies, Sir Jeffery, 181 

Jefferson, Rev. Benjamin, ^ 

Jeffersonian, The, 218 ip 

Jena, Battle of, 98 

Jenkins, William T., 72 

Jobe, Andrew. 49 

John and Sarah, ship, 13 

Johns, Rev. Allen, 203 

Johnson, Andrew, 212; resolution by D. M., 
237; Francis, 103; Rev. Elias H.,228; Geo. 
C, 214 ; Rev. George W., 205 ; Henry T., 
214; Rev. Miller, 199; R. Morgan, 106; 
Tavern, 108, Wm. Shaler, 299,304 

Jones, Rev. Lewis J., 205; Rev. Martin P., 
207 

Judges, Chapman, Leiper and Engle, 60 



iJury. First Grand, 14; presentment of 
I Grand, 47, 49, 50, 59 
I Justice, Charles, 128, 140 

IKalm, Peter. 28, 121 
Keebler, Godfrey, 155 
Keen, Joran, 2, 27, 67, 175, 183, 191; Prof. 

Gregory B., 2, 182 
Kelley, Edward, 105; Esther, 201; John, 

211; Rev. John B., 198; Rev. Thomas, 204; 

William, 169 
Kendrick, Bishop, 169 
Kenil worth, 138 
Kennedy, James, 176 
Kensington, 175 

Kent, Poem by Henry S., 259 to 262 
Kenworthy, Ciiarles, 196 
Keokuk Mills, 313 
Kerlin, Abby,8l,225; Catharine, 97; Chas., 

81; Frederick E., 81; John, 81, 97; Ma- 

thias, 79; Sarah, 84; William, 31,38, 39, 

57,79, 83 84, 97 
Kershaw, Jonathan, 211 
Keith, Rev. George, 186 
Keyser, remarks of Charles S., 297 to 305 
Kill, Upland, 3 

Killie, Thomas, 126; Sarah, 126 
King's Attorney, First appearance of. 152; 

Highway, 170; Life Guards, 91; '■King of 

thH Medicants," 19 
Kink. Rodger, 55 
Kinkhead, John, 55 

Kittatiney, Settlement of Dutch at, 1, 2 
Kitts and Kerlin, 42 
Kirkman, Edward B., 214 
Klotz, Paul 83 
Kurtz, Rev. Samuel W., 204 

Labee, Washington, 57 

Ladd, Mary, 75 

Ladomus, Catharine, 98; Charles A,, 97^-. 

Jacob, 98; Joseph, 98; Jonn A., 214; 

Lewis, 44, 98, 131; Rosanna, 98 

aerson, Neeles, 23, 46, 47, 87, 100, 132; Inn, 

46 
Fatayette at Chester, 31, 58. 80, 89, 103, 123; 

House, 95; wound of, 88, 94, l;2 

Lament over ''hester's Mother," 83 
Lamokin Hall, 87, 138, 156; price paid for, 

141 
Lamplugh, Samuel, 89, 166 
Lancaster o., created, 177 
Lane, S. Alex., 224 
Larkin, John, Jr., 37, 39, 40, 43. 45,58, 66, 95, 

125, 161; Horace F., 214 
Law & Devenney's brickyard, 324 
Lawler, Matthew, 92, 105 
Laws, James, 42; Wm. L., 211 
Laycock, Thomas, 40, 116 
Leany, Simon, 211 
Lease of Wade's land, 39 
Le onte. Dr. J. L., 226 
Ledward, James, 44, 61 
Lee, Governor of Va., 210; John, 129; Marv. 

129 > ) . jj 

Leiper rhurch, 206; General Charles J., 

212; family, 159; Geo. G., 35; Samuel M., 

210 
Leonard, Ezekiel, 39, 91, 107, 108, 168 
Lescure. Catharine, 147; Joseph M. G., 146, 

147, 155, 215 
Levick, Address by Dr. James, 305, 306; ad' 

dress by Samuel J., 250 to 259 
Lewis, Hannah, 129; Henrv, 177; Joseph J., 

27, 231; Wm. H., 134; & Hoop, 44 



832 



Index. 



License, selling liquor without, 184 

Lightfoot; Samuel, 17f 

i^illey Manufac'uring Co., 315 

Linard, Mary. 162 

Lincoln Hall, 61, 98; manufactui'g Co., 313 

Linden trees. 53 

Links of old bridge, 173 

'List, Kev. Thomas R , 195 

Litzenberg, Geo. 210; Col. Simon, 211, 212 

•Lloyd, Charles, 204; David, 2 ,40,49,51,73, 
75, 110, 111, 112, 113, 1-/1, 132, 17«; Logan's 
description of, 112; David's title to church 
lands, 130,161; Frank, 89; Grace, 40. 90, 
106. li:^; 114, 177, 178; Grice'swill, 168,178; 
her reservations in Hoskin's deed, 1 4; 
John, 166; Sarah, 111; Thomas, 25 

Lock, Dominie Laurence, 5, 10; elopement 
ot his wife, 6; trial of, 6 

Lodge, Willi m H., 214 

Logan, Dr. Albanus (3.,41,76; Deborah, 21, 
75, 7H, 90, 123, 136 ; House, 52, 73, 121, 132, 
157,307; James, 75, 76, 111,112; impeach- 
ment of James, 112; and Penn correspon- 
dence, 11 

Logwood Mills, 315 

Long Finn, Ins Trection of, 10 

Long, Hev. .fohn <;.,228 

Lo^ising, Letter from Benson J.. 308 

Lottery for St. Paul's hurch, 187 

Lovelace, Governor, 111 

Low, ^ scape of Tom. 58 

Lowne.s G> orge B. , 17C; James, 1,50; Phin- 
eas, 16u; Susanna, 150 

Luken's Mills, 318 

Lyons, Breese, 155, 159; Grossman, 94, 164, 
165; Edgar ■'., 108; Jedediah, 164; Mary 
Gorman, 122, 16! 

Mackin.Rev. P. J., 197 

MacKeever, Alexander, 215; Samuel A., 

215 
Maddock, Mordecai, 176 
Maddux, Rev. John B., 202; Jesse, 104 
Magaw, Rev. Dr., 194 
Malin, Sarah, 107 
Manley, f'harles D., 39, 60 
Maniac, How guarded in early times, 90 
March of Chester men to Turk's Head, 66 
Marcus Hook, 3, 33. 97, 199 
Market House, 4i, (yi 
Maris, George, 177; Jesse, 87, 148, 177 
Markham, Governor, 13, 14, 111, 183 
Marquis of Twe°desdale, 158 
Marden, Richard, 28 
Martin, Kleanor, 146; John Hill, 8, 12, 28, 48, 

50, 81, 88, 89, 102, 104, 106, 145, 161, 172, 179, 

191, 192; Thomas, 176; Walter, 50; Dr. 

William, 145; William, 211 
Mason and Dixson's line, 14 

" ancient custom of, 106; Lodge of, 

105 
Marline, Death of Charles, 61 
Massey, James, 43 
Mast, Rev. Isaac, 203 
Mather, Jane, 193; James, 29, 39, 96, 97; 

John, 69,77. 78, 95, 96, 97, 126, 153.178; 

Mary, 09, 77; Ruth, 77, 96 
Maxwell, Nimrod, 39 
Mayors of Chester, 36, 45 
McOafferty; William, 170 
McCall, Ann, 135; George, 135 
McCay, John B., 217; Robert, 60 
Mc Combs, Rev. William, 203 
McCurdy, Robinson, 214 
McEnroe, Rev. Patrick, 197 



McFeeters, John, 21S' 

McGlynn, Rev. Hugh, 197; Rev. Thomas 
d., 197, 198, ir-9 

Mcllvain, Henry, 44; Henry S., 214; Hugh, 
155; Jeremiah, 109; Spencer, 44. 109 

McKee, Rev. Edward, 197 

McKeever, Jemima, 146; 'Japtain John, 
140; J.B., 146, 154 

McLaren, Jennie. 222 

Memorial Windows 206 

Mendenhall, Cyrus, 109 

Merideth, Rev James E., 202 

Mechanic Rifles, 211 

Mecoponaca. 24 

Media, 6'i 

Michelon, John G,, 217 

Middletown Meeting, 176 

Mifflin, Fort, 93; Guards, 210; Joseph, 91; 
Gen. Thomas, 194 

Milburn,'4lev. John, 201 

Military ( 'rganization, 210 
lilitia Shooting Match, 165 

Miller, John X., 207 

Mirkil, Isaiah H , 123, 173 174 

.Minnick, George B,, 214 

Minshall, Edward R., 105 

Mirror. Chester Business, 219 

Mission, Sunday School, 208 

Mix, James B., 215 

Mo e. Rev. Henry, 205 

Mohawk Mills, 314 

Monroe, countv sett'ement of, 1; Dr. Wil- 
liam, 37 

Moore, Kev. George Clifford, 196; Nicholas, 
20; Robert, 87; Thomas, 128 

Moreley, Captaiu B. F., 213, 224 

Morgan, Captain, 33; Evan, 161,162; House, 
161; John, 162; Thomas House, 165; Tho- 
mas, •'>2, lii5 

Moriarty, Rev. Dr., 196 

Morning, The, Oct 23 1882, 263 

Morris, A nna, 164; A nthony, 40, 116; House, 
164; Captain John, 154; Jonathan, 164; 
JamisP.,164; Margaret, 164; Rob't, 204 

Morton, Black & Bro., 43, 44, 319, Dr. 
Charles J. ,227; Cr sbyP.,44; John, 167, 
193, 194, 307; Rifles, 212; William H., 42 

Monk, Capture of Frigate General, 32 

Mowry, Rev. Philip H., 207 

Mullin, Rev. William, 202 

Munday's Run, 57, 154 

Murder of William Bonsall,57, 127; David 
Culin, 53; Eleanor Davis, 53; Jonathan 
Hays, 49; Martin HoUis, 58; Edward Hun- 
ter, 57; Richard Kelley, 53; Ann Lewis, 
53; JohnMcClister,53; Thomas Morgan, 
52; of the Peddler, 133; Indian Quilee, 
53; Thomas Sharp, 53 

Murphy, Rev. ^vmiam, 206; Church, 206 

Musgrave, Aaron, 123, 164; Abigail, 123, 
164; John. 126; Mary, 126 

"Music of the Shuttle," 60 

Musket captured at Trenton, 153 

Myers, Henry, 211 

Naaman's Creek, 74 

Naming of streets, 42 

National Hall, 97 ; Hotel, 89 ; Hydraulic 

Works, 317 
Neal, William, 113 
Nesbit, Alex., 215 
Nevins, Major D. R. B., 219 
Newbold, John, 127, 130 
Newlin, A., 173 
New Orleans, Capture of Ports below, 118 



Index. 



S33 



3New8, Chester Evening, 218 

Newspapers, Notes respecting, 215 

New York, Evacuation of, 99 

Nichols, Letter of Be v. Mr., 169; Rev. Hen- 
ry, 186; Sir Richard. 38 

Nicholson, Col. Francis, 181 

Niles, Welcome D., 91 

Ninth street bridge, 174 

Non-importation agreement, 122 

Noted ride, A, 80 

Norris. Charles, 76; L)eborali,75; Kev. John 
W , 206; Mary Parker, 7.^, 167 

Norton, Rev. Trancis H.. 205 

Nugent, Drusilla, 117; William, 107 

Oberholt, D. B., 217 

Ocheltree's Cairiage Works, 318 

Odd Fellows' Lodge, 105 

Odenheimer, John, 40, 116, 126 

'Odhner, Proif-, 3 

Otrden David, 65, 68; Jonathan, 65; Joseph, 

65; Katharine 65; Hannab, 150 
Okehoclungs, The, 8 
01<1 ' ssembly House, 20, 21 
Oldest House in Pennsylvania, 229 
Oidmixon. 27 
Omnibus Bank Act, 126 
•O'Neal, William, 168 
Orr, "iiiiam, 168 
■Oswald, Eleazer, 39 
Ott, Henry, 170 

Owens, John, 177; Dr. Joshua, 169 
Owl, The, 220 



Paiste, D. P , 162 

Palmer Brickyard, 323; Strange N., 216 

Palo Alto, Battle of, 118 

Pancoast, Rev. Samuel, 204 

Paregoya Armegart, 3, 8, 9, 10, 12, 38, 132, 
16 

Parade, Bi-Centennial. 286 to 289 

Parker House, 157; Joseph, 39, 41, 51, 52,70, 
75. 122, 14 , 157; Mary, 70, 75, 157 

Parkinson, John, 106 

Parsonages, St. Paul's, 151, 169 

Pastors of St. Paul's, List of the. 191 

Patent to Eusta Anderson, 152; John Bris- 
ton, 130; Sandilands, 161, 164, 165; Randle 
Vernon, 142 

Patterson, General Robert E ,61; Mills, 315 

Pavement, Fmd of Old, 170 

Paxson, Jane, 129; Rev. William J., 203 

I*e!ir] Hall 227 

Pearson, Ephraim, 149, 168, 169; Thomas, 
19: ? 18 

Peck, Practical Joke on Major, 59 

Peculiar Business Signs, 85, 107, 156 

Pedrick, Elizabeth, 151; Rebecca, 167; 
Roger, 167; Thomas, 167 

Pemberton, Phebe, 116 

Pendulum, The Mercurial, 69 

Penn, Wm., Charter to, 13; Bi-Centenarv 
Anniversary, J5, 264 to 267; House at Ches. 
ter, 63; John, 29; Landing of William, 38; 
Letter from, 111; Opening of Street, 66; 
Gov. Richurd, 53. 70; - teamboat, 94; 
Thomas, 28, 29; William, 14, 17, 22, 24, 25, 
26, 27, 28. 38, 68, 76, 83, 86, 111, 112, 176, 
177, 183, 231, 232; Club, 295, 299, 300. 

Pennell, Abigail, 70; Edmund, 42, 125; 
House, 125; James, 104, 108, 109, 124; Jona- 
than, 33,49, 51. 82, 97, 124, 125, 135, 137, 
159, 169; Mary, 70; Nathan, 124; Robert, 
108, 109, 124; Samuel, 104; Thomas, 70, 
124; William, 83, 108, 124 



Pennsylvania Arms, 77. 83; Artillerist, 210; 
Bank, 130; Extract from Gzette, 190; 
Hos i al, 130; Magazine of History, 135; 
Military Academy, 44. 119, 221, 222, 223; 
Extract from Packet, 71 
Pent Roof Houses, 50, 73, 121 
Perilous, A Ride, 118, 119 
Perkins, AbramR., <J7, 141,207,208; House, 

138 
Perry's History of ''liurches in Pa , 186 
Peter.-jon, Jarob, 140 
Philadelphia Conference, 201; Threatened 

attack oil. 52; W & B. Hailroad, 33. 34 
Phii-nix Iron Works, 317 
Pickering, ol. Charles. 152; trial of, 162 
PicKles, William. 132 
Pierce, CUeb, 16^ Henry, 181; John, 133; 

Willia>ij.79 
Piers, Gift to State by Pearson, 168 
Pioneer Factory, 60. 6j 
Piper, George W , 151; Joseph, 84; Sarah, 

84, 85 
Pirates full of gold, 189 
Poplars, l.ombardy,53 
Popular De onsti ation at the starting of 

lo ms, 61 
Pop'ilation in 1840. 37 
Post Boy. The, 146, 166, 215 
Porter, Commodo-e David, il3. 116; Ad- 
miral David D., 118; Dr., 1.54, inQ; Eve- 
lina. 89, 117; Henry Ogden. 119; House, 
69, 110. 159, 162; Fire and Explosion at, 
119, 120; Hamilton, 119; Imogene, 117; 
Theod.Tic, 118 
Potter, Bishop i60; House, 16, 159; Sarah 

B., 160 
Potts, Isaac, 91 
Pound, Public, 2h 
Powell. Frederick E., 224; Henry L., 85, 

166; Thomas. 132, 144, 169,181: Wm., 61 
Powhattan Mills, 3vl 
Peaching of Penn, 76 
Preble's Bombardment of Tripoli, 136 
Press, Public, 22G 
Presbyterian. <'hester Citv, hurch, 207; 

Firsr, IW; Third, 208 
President, Capture of Frigate, 136, 137 
Presron, Ann, '31; Jonas, 129, 33, 151, 177; 
Dr. Jon s, 129, 130, 131; Mary, 121; Packet 
Jonas, 31; Retreat, 131; William F., 51, 
129; Wharf and Storehouse, 133 
Price, Catharine, 145; Edward A., 196; Ed- 
ward A , Jr., 214; ELaha, 122, 164; JoHn, 
144, 145; J. C. & W. G., 229, 320; Samuel 
A., 82, 84, 151, 166,211; Samuel .A., Jr., 
214; Sarah B., 161; Thomas B., 43 
Printz, Governor, 1, 2, 3; Dorp, 12, 38; Hofl", 

2; Vil'age,3 
Prisons at Chester, 46 

Prisoners, scape of, 53, 58; Picture of 
Prison, 52; of War Exchanged, 226; Es- 
lape of, 226 
Privateers, French and Spanish, 210 
Providence Meeting, 176 
Prothonotary's Office, 61, 52 
Proud's History of Penna., 175, 230, 
Pryor, Warner, 66 
Public Houses, number of, 26 
Pugh, Hugh, 49 
PuUen, Samuel, 134 
Pyewell, Hannah, 134 
Pyle, Addie H., 225; Ralph, 181; Sarah, 65 

Quaker Hill, 56 
Quare, Daniel, 231 



'tS4 



l^ueen ChTistiaiiH, 3 

'• A.nn''s gift to St. Paul's. ISl, 182 
Quickley, F., 173 

Rambo, Pe+er. U; Peter G., 20T 

Rapacity of the Dutch. 9 

Raper, Joshua, li5; Mary, 115; Sarah, 115 

Slawnsley, Anson, 214- 

Reaney, Shipyard, -07; Son & Arehbold, 

207, 208; Thomas, 43. 207 
Re ords of Upland Court, find of, 46, 76 
Rectors of St. Paul's Church, list of, 54 
Kees, A B., Works, S'M 
Remoyal of County Seat, 55, 5&, 84-, of pris- 
oners, 57 
Reporter, The Weekly, 219 
Revolution, French, 08 
Revolutionary Barracks, 124;; Hospital, 124; 

War, 29; 30; 31, 32, 51, 53, 55,71, 83', 88, 91, 

02, 93 
Hhodes, William B., 319 
Ridley Quarries, 86 
Rice, Roger, 185 
Richards, John James, 210 
Richardson, Deborah, 91-, Francis, 90,91, 

106, 107, 162, 168; Grace, 91; Hannah, 91; 

House, 168, 307; Jacob, 110: John. 91; 

Wharf, 90, 168 
Riots, Pittsburg, 213 
Rive' side Hosiery Mills, 324 
Roach, John & Sons, 43; "Shipyard of,.313 
Roberts, Charles, 61; Mills, 323; David, 77, 



Serrill, James, 2r6 

Settlers, Swedish and Finn, 2;" Criminar^ 
4; Opposition to Emigration of Criminalj, 
4; Houses of, 4; Dress of, 5; Intemper- 
ance of, 5 

Settlement, Tardiness of Early, 9 

Seventh Street Bridge, 174 

Sexton, Philip. 80 

Seyfert & McManus, 42 

Shackamaxon, 175 

Slianafelt, Rev. A. F., 290 

Shanahan, Bishop, 198 

Shannon's, Captain, Company, 89, 102 

Sharp, Mr., 92 

Sharpless, Ann, 131; George, 100; Martha, 
129', 130,132, 149; Thomas, 129, 133, 149y 
The Meeting Ho ise, 178 

Shaw, Anthony, 99;: Emily Ann, 150; Han- 
nah, 149; Hou-e, 148, 149; James, 148. 149, 
167; James, Jr., 150;. Jane, 148, 149; John^ 
148», 1H7; John E., 150, 169; Samuel, 148, 
149, 168, 229, 232; Samuel, Jr., 150 

Sheridan, Rev. Philip, 196 

Shields, Rev. John, 202; Arthur, 87, 124j 
Mary, 87, 124 

Ship Aroity, 111 

Shoemaker, Sarab, 24 

Shooting Match, a Militia, 160 

Shulae, Governor, 58, 158 

Sidbotham, Elizabeth, 75 

Siddons. Ann, 65; William, 133, 134 

Sidewalks, Burial of Bodies in, 188 

Signs, Business, 79, 85, 107, 15S 



185; Hovi'ard,94; Susanna, 79 
Robinson, Brick Yard, 323; Ca harine, 13&,i§iBaoock, Jacob, 2&2; John, 67, 68, 175 
137; Jane, 71; aptaiB Thomas, 70, 123-, Simpson, Bishop, 203; William & Son, 174;; 



36; Rev WiTiiam C, 202, 203 

Rorer & Mingin, 61 

Rose Valley Mills. 324 

Ross, Arthur G., 214; Charles B ,^214; Gen- 
eral, 210; Edward, 176; Matthew P., 214; 
Rebecca, 76; Richard, 76; Mr.'s letter to 
■Society for Propagation of Gospel. 132. 
179, 80 

Rulon, Job, 143 

Rumford, John, 157 

Russell, William, 216 

Ruth, Rev John, O'J- 

Rysingh, Governor, 9 

Safe Guards, <hester City, 212 

Salkeld, Agnes, 138, 139; "David, 140; Eliza- 
beth, 140;. House, 138; John, Sr., 75. ^'9, 
139, 148, Ux; John, Jr., 99, 139, 140, 177; 
Sarah, 99; Thomas, 99 

Sandeland. Ann, 184; House, 108, 124; Jas., 
Sr 5 21, 22, 47,49,74,83,86, 101,124, 144, 
101, 164, 165, 177, 180, 181, 182, 83, l-(4; 
James Jr., 22, 74, 79. 95, 101. 126; Jonas, 
57, 74, 77, 83, 86, 108, ro, 124, 126, 144; 
Mary, 77, 124. 126, 144; Tablet, 182 

Sandilyn, 'aijt un Jacob Eyersou, 18 

Sanville's Spar Works, 32'J 

Schey, Catharine, 98 

Schools, <;hester Public, 221; Beques^. to, 
115, 22t; Free, of Philadelphia, 128 

Schooner, The low black, 45 

Schureman, Rev. William D. N., 2Jt; Wil- 
liam H., 214 

Schuylkill Navigation Company, 130 

Scotch-Dutchmtn, Ship, 183 

Scow, Houses towed on, 97 

Seaboard Oil Company, 322 

Second Street Bridge, 174 

Secretary of Congress, 76, 77 i 

See, Andrew, 86 

Sellers, John, 55 ! 



Robert, 220 
Slaves, 183; Introduction of Negro, 8 
Siawter, Garrett G., 214 
Slifer, Phala^nx. 211 

Suuedley, George B., 214; SaiBuel L.. 307 
Smith, Dorathy, 135v Df. Eben, 226, Dr. 

George, 8, 18, 24, 48, 50, 167, 176; Captaiu 

Henry, 13; John, 1<5; Lloyd P., remarks- 

of, 301; Pearson, 2tO; Richard K., 88;. 

Sam'1,72; Rev. Stephen, 205; Thos. M..43-^ 

• ristram, 109, 149; Rev. J. Wheaton, 200 
Smull'3 Hand Book, 88 
Snyder, Governor Simon, 126 
Soldiers' Relief Association, 225 
Sons of many Fathers, 216 
.Spain, War with. 29 
Spanish Bits, 152 
Spirks, E. D., 214; and Oo.'s Works, 318j 

W. N., 214 
Spectre, The Mounted, 54 
Spencer, John, 217; Book Bindery, 317 
Springfield Meeting, 176 
Sproull Rev. Alex. W., 207 
Stacey, Davis B., 105, 106; George, 105; 

Hannah, 11)6; House, 101; James G.. 105; 

Sarah, 106 
Standish, Miles, 230 
Star, Evening, 220 
Stark's Carriage Works, 318 
•'State of Maine," Steamship, 225 
Steadman, Rev. J. C, 207 
Steel. General, 84; Thomaa, 147 
Steamboat Hotel, 3-', 90 
Steam Engine, First in Chester, 43 
Stephens, James, 61 
Stevens. Bshop, 195 
Stevenson, Jerry, 66, 173 
Stittler, Rev. James M., 228 
Stille, OUe, 7; Address of Dr. Charles J., 

298 
>tock, Pairof, 50 



Indesc, 



S35 



StoeHonjCammodere. 80 

Stone, Unveiling of the Memorial. 293: Visi 

tors at unveiling, List of, 295, 296, 307 
■»torks, Rev. Levi, 202 
Story, Charles A., Jr., 212; Thomas. 26 
Stroud & Co.. 42, 319 
Stotesbury. Mill of James M., 315 
Stuyves^nt, Governor, 8, 9 

^*;Qr''i''Q7'^ii^"J''^',^^^- ^^^ S^- Michael's, 
196.197; St. Paul's, 54,74, 12C, 122, 179 
•80. 182, 184, 185, 186, 188, 188 ' ' 

Subscribers to • nEd, 242 to 245 

Sufiering of early settlers, 14 

Sunnyside Mills, 44 

Sweerwood, Lewis A., 82 

Sweden, New. Captured by Englisk, lO: 
Dutch, Capture of, IS s . ", 

Swedes, Order fey Dutch to gather at de- 
signated points. 9; CriEainal settlers, 3: 
ttiouses, 4; Dress, 5; Intemperance, 5- 
• hurch, 5, 179; ClergymeE, sT 179 

»^eney, Gapt. Frank 6., 213, 214: Prof. 
John R., 2-4, 271, 284, 28 > 

Tablet, The Sandelands, 188 
Talley, Col. William Cooper, 212, 217 
,lo^^\ Hope"? Anchor, 101; Johnson's, 
198; Description of Thurlow's, 81 
U V \Vc- .Barnard C, 228; Carriage 
J^ ^^'v3^,l'^°''yB'J5=^ Isaac, 55; Jo- 
seph, 159; Thomas, 51, 70; Dr. William, 

Temple., Horace P., 214 

■Temporary, Friends' Meeting House, 17S 

lennyson, Alfred, Letter from, 304 

ifio'"A^°°^i^O'iisa' 131, 162; Emeline, 

162 °"®''' ^^^ ^'■- Job H., 91, 104, I3i; 
Thatcher, Lewis, 43; William R., 211 
Third htr«et Bridge, 171, 172, 173, 174 
^?P™s, Bey. Charles F., 208; Governor, 

L7; Gabnel, History of Penna., 24, 25 
Thompson, Rev. A. G., 200; Rev. J. S., 206; 

Rev, Thomas, 186 ' 

Thomson, Charles, 75, 77, 78, 187; Ruth, 78 
Thurlow, John J.. 8 , 81, 82, 89 
Tiles, Illuminated, 73, 121 
TilghmaE, Benjamin, 57 
'*'*™es, Chester Daily, 218; Pablishiiig Do 

Timmins, Rev. Jasaes, 197 
Tinnackunk, li| 
Tinicuca, Island of,l , 2 
Tittery, Joshua, 24 
Tobacco pouch, 23© 
Todd, Williaia A., 218 
Tombs, New York, 215 
Tom, William, 46 
Tories, 91, 99 
Torpey, F. C, 173 

^' 230° 23°^' ^'^^^'^' 1^^' Richard, 24, 175, 

Traitors, Arrest of, 97 

Trego, Elizabeth, 83; James, 83; Geogra 

phy of Penna., 195 > ' & 

Trehorn, Catharine, 87; William, 87 
Trial of Col. Pickering, 152 
Trinity <'hurch. 203 
Tripolitan War, 116, 136 
Troops, Cavalry, 71; Raising of, 53 
Troth, Oliver, 218 
Tucker, Isaac, 84 
Turk's Head Hotel, 55, 78, 79 
Tuscarora Tribe, 29 
Turner, Edward, 148; House, 29, 148; Ro- 



bert, 231, 232; William, 148 
Tweedes.lale, Marquis of, 158 
Iwiggs, Rev. Mr., 203 

''D'r^Vima*rK'22f' '"^'^^'' ''' ««' ^«' 
Unangst, David M., 214 
Union Blues. 211; Church, 2^4; Mills 325 
University of Penn.sylvanii, 193 ' 

Upland. 8, g, 10,11,13, 14, 17. 18 19- A«- 
tronomir-al Observatio sat. 13; Courttt 
4'-; Indiiin name of, «; Kill 3- Oninn 

\^'.lTl''M'' f^ PennVg',v'er^S 
Srp\^V;4;^ki^n^''°/8'^^14?2^°"^o,Jit^ 
2l?ll4 ' ^^^ "'^^ "°* legated at, 22 
Urie, Rev. William, 202 

Valley Forge. 5 i, 164 

Vane, The Penn Weather, 232 

Van Dyke, Sarah, 106 

Van Wyck, Rev. George, 207 

Van Zant, Abraham, 154 

Verlenden Bro.'s Mills, 325 

i7fi°T'if'^'^'*''1',i2'^' '^'■•'92; Randle,W.2, 
176; Thomas, 175, 178 ' ' 

Vicksburg, Seige of, 118 

Victoria Mills, 313 

Virginia, Three Beauties of, 88 

Visit, John F. Watson's, to Chester 70 

Visitor, The Weekly, 94, 216 "''^'®'^' '" 

Vote, Popular, on removal of County Seat, 

Vulcan Works, 322 

Vulture, British Frigate, 31, 103 



^^il' ■^/*^,l^ ^h 26> 38; John, 39, 128, 167' 

16? m '^^a'^'n^I' ^^' 2''' 28> 38, 65 12I; 
lb(, 175, 229 ThoJHas, 38: Extinx^jiiaTi- 
ment of charge on land of, '4. 129^"''*' 

"^Thom^s^sf ' ^''' ^°^°' 33; -Reese, 140; 

Walpool, Horace, 181 

Walter, T. U., 190; Y. S., 60 146 16^ 9ifi 

WarTSohn^V/ '^T^^ ^^^O^'^^l^l 
wara,doun,48; John M.B.,214- >; TTlr r-h 

299', sTj """ ' ''' '^' ''''' mKern^Xlt', 
Wartield, Or., 147 
Warner, Sarah, 69 

Warters, Rev. G. T.,205 Rev. G. W m 
Washabaugh, Col. P M 213 "'■*''•'-"& 
Washington chairs, 83; at Chester, 31 33 

140; General 83, 92; House, 31, 58 82,' 83 

86, Literary Society, 220 
Water, Scarcity of, 45 61 
Watson, John F., 7. 70 7fi Qi 
Way, Evan C, 84 ''"''"'^^ 
Wayne, Anthony, 30, 145; Margaret, 145 
Weaver, Joseph, Jr„ 58. 88, 122, 123 on 
' '^,eccaco," hurch at, 180, 183 
Welcome, Ship, 14, 15, 24, 175, 183, 231 
Wellington, James, ExecutioE of, 57 

bv 2!8- f"^." ^;' ^'^"^'' ^'^o^"' ^48; Poem 
nr 7'u S ^®**®'" *rom, 304, 305 
1^62 ^^^•'^o«epli'2U2; P. A ,213, Street, 

West Chester, Records at, 148 167 

West, Keziah, 165; Henry G. 228- Sam'i rk 

WetheriU & rjo., 43, 316 ' ' ^ 

Wharton, John, 124 

Wheaton, Lewis D., 112, 238; Mary A., 137 

Whipping Post, The, 50 ^ ' 

Whiskey Insurrection, 33, 50, 71, 130, 210 



Index, 



White Swan, Sign of, 104 

Whiteliead, William, 99, 104 

Whitfield, George, 29 

Wiggin, Augustus &.< d Frederick, 42j_159 

Wiiby's Belting Works, 318 

Wilcox, Joseph, 211 

Wilde Post, 212 

Wilder, Rev. William, 199 

Willey, Wiss, 61 

Williams, John C, 86; Joseph, 215; Wil- 
liam H., 213 

Williamson, C. D., 218 

Wilson, Elizabeth, 54. 154; George, 42, 82; 
Hugh, lo2; Harry, 214; Dr. Joseph, 210; 
Robert, 214; Robert P., 214 

Winter, old, 14. 73; John, 52; Walter, 52 

Witchcraft, Trial for, 183 

Withey Farm, 125, 187; James, 87, 140, 145; 
Marv, 87, 88, 103, 140; Samuel, 88 

Wood,"Kev. A., 213; Bishop, 197, 198; Dr. 
George K., 225 

Woodier, George, 69 

Wooley, Henry, 138 

Woolvin, Mary, 49- 



Women, dress of the Swedish settlers, 5; 

Wages, 25 
Worley, Daniel, 231; Henry, 50; Nathan, 52 
Work-house, 51, 52 
Worrall, Col. Alexander, 165; Elizabeth,. 

140; George C, 214; Philip, 95 
Worthington, Eliphalet B., 146, 155, 214 
Wounley, Henry, 179 
Wright, John, 83, 177 
Wyoming Mills, 324 

Yarnall, Abigail, 129; John, 129; Norri& 

L.,2n 
Yeadon Mills, 314 
Yeates, Catharine, 73, 74; Jasper, 26, 48,. 

49, 73, 74, 132, 135, 181, 186; John, 74, 135 
Yellow Fever, 33, 116, 136, 142, 145 
York, Duke of, 13, 23, 38, 67 
Yorktown, Siege of, 88 
Young, Jacob, 5, 6; Rev. H. G., 205; Db . 

Williams., 138 

Zeilin, John K., 88, 211 
Zetscoven, Rev. Abelius, 6 



^-'■."J 



